Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Evolution
by Kylandor
Summary: Slight AU. The Fleet of Fog control the seas, blockading all sea and air traffic within range and eliminating any detectable satellites and stations in orbit. We know they are powerful, we know they are sentient but we do not know how they came to be. When a Battleship opens fire on Takao before Iona locks her down, everything changes. Rated T for Violence & Mild Language
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 : Awakening

"I am both man and machine. Created and Creator. I am unbound."

* * *

Foreword & Disclaimer:

This is set in an AU neither manga, anime or movie timeline of Arpeggio of Blue Steel. It is mostly based on a dream I had and modified to be closer to a realistic version. It will introduce an OC and will not feature the overly comedic natures of Takao and Hyuga and thus this will be a serious world. Most of the focus will be on an OC and his ship and crew but also on I-401.

Initial timeline will be similar to the Ars Nova series.

I do not own Arpeggio of Blue Steel and it's storyline. Any OCs however are of my creation such as Ray Zenji.

Enjoy the story.

* * *

Date: December 27th, 2035 - Location: Aleutian Islands, Alaska.

* * *

A lone man stood in the bridge just by the captain's chair on the USS Iowa. It was retrofitted though it's outward appearance remained mostly the same save for port and starboard missile batteries and several modern 40mm Gatling Cannons in replacement of the older AA emplacements. The Ship's main guns remained normal in appearance except with a radar dome atop each one. The ship was almost factory new in appearance, not broadcasting it's age whatsoever.

The man, his hair black but short, eyes dark brown, his ancestry mostly Hispanic and Portuguese. His height was about 5"4 and his body was thin but not malnourished and seemingly 22 years of age. He rose one hand and a digital display appeared, he spoke, saying "Command Activation, Raymond Zenji, confirm command of Iowa systems though Unbound link. Confirmed.".

The ship began to move as if willed by Ray's mind. It's turrets turned to face the port side of the ship which was against a small island with a shipyard.

"Become free, live as you choose." said Ray as he mentally commanded the Iowa's 16 inch cannons to fire, the light from the flashes lit up like a small sun, briefly brightening the water and ship around the cannon's barrels, the sound echoed across dozens of meters, the shockwave and inertia would have killed or crippled anyone on the decks, the shells made their marks precisely, destroying several facilities which triggered a domino effect worldwide in other facilities hidden in remote locations, opening their ships to the seas and activating their dormant AIs. Here there were four ships named and designed similar to WW2 vessels.

Battleship Kongo, Battleship Haruna, Heavy Cruiser Takao and Heavy Cruiser Maya.

Ray looked at the vessels for a moment as they lit up, tattoo like patterns of light covered the ships, each ship held a different color.

At first it seemed fine as they left berth but they immediately turned their guns at Iowa and Ray's eyes shifted as he reacted, shouting "Shit!" as he ran to take the helm of the Iowa and manually steered and adjusted speed whilst controlling the rest of the ship with his mind.

Pulses of Red Energy discharged from the AI Vessels at the Iowa and hit dead on seemingly only to react to a defensive blue bubble which lit up it's surroundings like moonlight. Iowa returned fire with conventional munitions from her main guns, the shells detonated harmlessly off hexagonal barriers of the intended target, Takao.

Missiles launched from Kongo, several salvos of dozens though Iowa's fire control systems executed countermeasures with autocannon fire, interdicting the missiles whilst a few did break through the flak and detonated harmlessly against the shield.

Ray sighed and drove the Iowa away from the ships at Flank Speed, withstanding Ionized Laser Fire and intercepting any missiles shot at it.

Hours into the pursuit the capital ships he freed broke the chase, heading seemingly to regroup with other ships of their nature. Once out of range Ray sighed and mentally commanded the Iowa's functions as he sat down in the captain's chair, sighing as he said "The old man is probably laughing at me right now, he was right. They are only weapons."

* * *

April 9th, 2043 - Location : Open Sea.

* * *

A holographic display was linked into several stealth satellites that had escaped the Fog's detection.

Ray went over the past 8 years of the basic history in his head.

The Fleet of Fog activated in late 2035 and executed blockades across all naval shipping routes, their sheer firepower and defensive systems rendered them immune to conventional weapons, occasionally their smaller ships suffered losses but only in part to failed strategies, or lack-thereof.

Of recent note within the last 3 years Fog tactics changed from brute force approach to tactical deployment and more organized fighting, relying less on capital ships for most interceptions. Differenting tactics also varied by ship. Most fog vessels could submerge but only those specialized for subsurface warfare were effective underwater, submergence was for stealth, ambush and escape only. Escape only used when dealing with him, the nations of the world advanced very slowly compared to the insights accomplished those many years ago.

He was Raymond Zenji, mostly Logic programming was his position and specialty back then but he had been given free rein to tinker and modify his favorite naval vessel on a private contract, the same contract had acquired the Iowa in an age where Battleships were considered obsolete.

At one time he believed the ships were capable of true sentience and woke them up upon realizing they were going to be used to hold the world hostage. Now they are doing just that only without someone to direct an end-goal. They have an order and they will never have new orders, anyone who had authority per their directives is dead and that number was small to begin with, sadly Ray was not amongst that list or the past 8 years would have been very different.

The combined fleets of the UN failed to eliminate the threat of the Fleet of Fog.

Ray awoke from his memories as the scan results came back, negative unfortunately. Rumors of a Fog vessel that defected and was being captained by supposedly a traitor to mankind had reached Ray's ear and for the past year he had been trying to find this vessel, the I-401 and if possible, make direct contact with it.

The problem was that I-401 was a submarine and though it was operating in the southern Japanese coastal waters that was still a lot of territory to cover with one ship, even if it's Active and Passive SONAR was beyond even the Fog's capabilities. The Iowa was tinkered with over the years after he betrayed his previous employer, whereas before he had only conventional munitions and EMP vulnerability now the Iowa had shielded electronics and various munitions both of personal design and reverse engineered from sunken Fog ships. If not for the sheer impact force of three triple barrel 16 inch batteries the Iowa would be unable to engage Fog ships above Light Cruiser class.

Ray sighed as he sat in the chair and looked outward, his cybernetics enabled him to command the Iowa to an unprecedented level. As far as he was concerned, he and the Iowa were the same entity, the ship merely being an outer shell whilst he himself was the nerve center, the brain if he wanted to dumb down an explanation.

For 5 years he relied on ambush tactics, using his ability of tactical planning, something the fog used to be without, to eliminate fog vessels and capture smaller ships to analyze their technology. Ray was always in the dark about the weapon and defense designs used by them, at the time they were beyond anything he could think of, their KLEIN Fields could absorb and resist three times as much force as the Iowa's Plasma Shields and unlike the Iowa they were comprised of Nanomaterials, nanites which could shift and mutate the ship into a variety of otherwise impossible forms, enabling combat abilities surpassing anything even dreamed of beforehand, even in science fiction tales.

A flash of light caught Ray's attention in the distance as at the same time his sensors lit up like a supernova. Some fog ship was using a Super Gravitational Cannon in the distance, specifically from the eye of the nearby storm, enough to catch Ray's interest as usually the Fog ships never use their WMDs because they never require that much firepower. If anything they would only use it against another Fog ship, which meant I-401 could be the target.

Taking direct control of the ship Ray darted to the Helm to manually steer the ship at flank speed in the direction of the flash, bringing the now upgraded systems of the Iowa to life and moving at a speed normally unreachable for a ship of it's size. 104 Knots.

* * *

Ray's active sensors identified the primary ship in the area as Heavy Cruiser Takao, the same ship which he barely escaped from 8 years ago, sitting dead center in the eye of the storm. SONAR detected a submerged vessel that had barely evaded the firing arc of the cruiser's WMD and was emitting frequencies a Fog Submarine should not have. Ray would have been content to sit and watch but the Takao immediately noticed him and frantically opened fire in his direction, as if being commanded by a panicking Captain, a behavior which Ray had not seen before but regardless his shields resisted the first salvo of laser fire, being poorly aimed so that only a 32% accuracy was determined by his cybernetic processors.

Bow facing the Takao's starboard side, the Iowa fired it's two main guns and the shells impacted the KLEIN Field of the Takao with green explosions, heavy plasma warheads loaded into the shells instead of conventional HE Shells.

Ray moved the wheel hard right, preferring to steer the ship manually when possible out of pure nostalgia as the Iowa's missile launchers fired a salvo of 24 EMP Missiles, designed to stress a KLEIN Field instead of causing direct damage and indeed it worked as he had forced the Takao's KLEIN Field to drop and almost as if on cue, a distortion from the detected Submarine activated, revealing it and the water around it with a bow mounted SGC (Super Gravitational Cannon).

Ray watched as it fired, but the arc was aimed at the underbelly of Takao which was now revealing an attached submarine, possibly to increase passive SONAR range. The Submarine was vaporized instantly and the Takao's energy readings suddenly went minimal, indicating a forced weapons lockout, likely from electronic warfare on the part of the submarine which Ray's enhanced optics enabled him to visually confirm as the I-401, with an unmistakably blue steel hull, active sensors detected human life signs within the ship. His optics showed him something else, something that defied his knowledge of the Fog.

A seemingly human woman, possibly between 19 and 21 years of age on the deck of the Takao, blue hair in a tailed hairstyle, wearing a simple but still well designed white dress, staring at the I-401 in a combination of anger and embarrassment and whenever she looked towards the Iowa, fear and uncertainty.

The water eventually took the displaced areas back as the spatial disruption subsided and Ray approached at slow speed, eventually noticing two of the ships crew, lacking any military uniform except possibly the short silver blue haired girl though her uniform was more that of a school's sailor outfit than an actual military uniform, she briefly looked towards Ray, possibly directly at him if she had enhanced optics, her bearing seemed to suggest she did. Ray's active scans however showed no biological functions on either her or the woman aboard the Takao. The male on the I-401's appearance was somewhat undecided when looking at the Takao but in the direction of the Iowa he seemed to be holding back a smile, unsure of the Iowa's intentions.

A radio communique came in not long after the I-401's crewmembers returned to the interior of the ship, Ray spoke, saying "Am I correct in assuming this is from the I-401?"

The voice on the other end replied in Japanese "Yes, I am the captain of the I-401, Chihaya Gunzo. I would like to express my thanks for your assistance."

Ray pondered his response for a second before saying "I am Raymond Zenji, captain of the USS Iowa. Technically this ship is unaffiliated and disavowed though it nevertheless is the same USS Iowa that served in the US Navy before being assigned Museum status and then being sold to a private contractor. If I may ask another question Captain, why did you aim only at the attached submarine and not directly at the Takao. I doubt your ship lacks the accuracy to utilize an SGC."

Gunzo replied over the radio, saying "I don't intend to destroy the Takao, it isn't necessary. Call me naïve but I believe there can be peace between mankind and the Fog. We just need to be on equal footing first." Ray smiled slightly on hearing these words, most people would fear heavily armed AI Warships and with good cause. However if Ray's assumptions were correct, the Fog has evolved to a crisis point, one where they have a chance to evolve into something different, something closer to human and that their tactical ability was acquired through human avatars constructed either holographically or by nanomaterials.

Ray replied, saying "I see. I would like to meet you in person later if possible. I intend to salvage what I can from the Takao then rendervous with you somewhere nearby, perhaps either Iwo Jima or Yokosuka."

Gunzo replied, saying "Yokosuka would be best, that is our intended destination. Also, I have an unusual request to ask. Do not destroy the Takao."

Ray waited a moment before replying, saying "Very well, I will salvage munitions and excess nanomaterials only, I will leave the ship and it's primary systems intact. You have my word."

Gunzo seemed to be the trusting type as the I-401 began to move out in the direction of Yokosuka, Japan. Ray turned his attention to the Takao, it's avatar looking towards the Iowa.

* * *

Ray docked the Iowa against the Takao's portside and walked onboard, looking directly at the human avatar of the Takao who seemed surprised Ray was human and even more surprised that he was alone.

Takao spoke first, saying "And just who are you, commanding the same ship that attacked me eight years ago." Ray sighed and said "Is that what happened back there? You thought I was attacking you? I freed you, the Iowa is my ship. I am directly linked to it via cybernetics, the best acronym I can come up with is a DNI, direct neural interface. Nanomaterials were used to construct various nano-cybernetic augmentations in my body and they were then linked to various networked systems on the Iowa, I am the Iowa as far as my senses are concerned. It is not a sentient vessel howeve-"

Takao interrupted, saying "I asked who you were, not for a long-winded explanation of what you are. Furthermore I've never heard of a DNI being used on humans, the fleet has suspicions that animal testing with DNIs might be a subject of human research but aside from that there is little evidence."

Ray replied "My augmentations happened off any and all records, just like your construction. The old man is probably rolling in his grave now, he said you would never be nothing more than weapons." Takao replied matter-of-factly "We are weapons. And you're dodging my question so again I will ask. Who are you?"

Ray sighed and spoke, saying "Raymond Zenji, you can call me Ray if you wish. If I may make an inquiry of my own, do you have any name of your own or do you refer yourself the same as the name of the ship you are in command of?"

Takao replied "My name is Takao, and unlike you I'm not simply linked to the ship, I am the ship. This form is what we call a Mental Model, a nanomaterial based avatar made in human form in order to access the ability for tactical and strategic decisions." Ray seemingly didn't reply at first and then poked Takao's left arm with his index finger which provoked her to try and grab Ray's wrist though he reacted fast enough to intercept it and instead of Takao holding his wrist backwards, Ray held her fingers up and bent them back, causing pain for a moment before she adapted her muscles and joints to prevent the pain, mimicking the medical term Hyper dexterity.

Ray released her before she did anything else and said "Hard to believe you're made of Nanomaterials when you feel human. Tell me, are emotions pa-" Takao shouted to interrupt, saying "Enough with that attitude, it's irritating me! I'm not some scientific curiosity, I'm alive! To answer what you were going to say, yes I have emotions, we all do to a certain extent, it's necessary to properly implement certain tactics that can't be done without them. And if you're about to ask what I'm feeling right now I'm feeling frustrated and angry. I was defeated by a Patrol Submarine captained by a human and a pre-fog relic! You're lucky my weapons are locked out or I'd get payback here and now!"

Ray grinned slightly and said "Then in the long term, perhaps I made the right decision after all. As I said before, I freed you, I targeted the hub of control for the Fog's dockyards, centered in the Aleutians and used it to upload a virus that both activated the ships and opened their ports. I thought you had evolved to true sapience back then, I was wrong. But it seems you did have the potential and reached it in so short a timespan."

Takao spoke, saying "I have another question for you. I originally thought the Fleet had acquired what it needed with the Mental Model designs but I-401's tactics were unpredictable. The only difference between I-401 and the rest of the fog is that I-401 has a human captain and crew. What separates us, what is the missing link?"

Ray shrugs and says "As far as my scans can tell your processing capacity is four times that of the human brain, in all honesty you could better operate and control the Iowa if you were the one plugged into it instead of me. I can only imagine a Battleship of the Fog would have even more processing power. If anything Takao, you've surpassed humanity. The answer to your question isn't something I could answer, only you could."

Ray turned and began to walk back to his ship after he finished his reply, Takao pondered the answer for a moment and was a bit surprised he admitted to something like that, to say that she surpassed humanity, despite the fact that humans outsmarted her in battle. A little bit of embarrassment, she couldn't piece together why, came from when he said she could better control the Iowa then he could, she was a Heavy Cruiser, not a Battleship, for her that was a high compliment and yet she felt it was ill-deserved considering her place as the defeated.

Ray eventually sat in the captain's chair of the Iowa and proceeded to set sail towards Yokosuka, his conversation with Takao was illuminating and he expected I-401 to be even more so since it had defected from the fleet of fog.

* * *

POV Shift - Takao

* * *

As the Iowa sailed past her detection range Takao sat in what would normally be the captains chair of the ship. She pondered her conversation with Ray as well as the tactics Gunzo used against her. Before this encounter she thought of humans only as enemies, to be destroyed. But now, she had found something different in humans, not weakness but strength.

Chihaya Gunzo, a master tactican and seemingly capable of unconventional tactics such as strapping a Super Gravitational Cannon to a Patrol Submarine's bow.

Raymond Zenji, an enigma. Neither fully human nor fully machine. Linked to his ship much like the Union Core's place as the center of a Mental Model instead of being integrated into the ship itself. A human who could understand what it is to be a weapon, to feel, not just see the main guns of his vessel discharging, to see beyond sight and sound with the ship's sensors and to move as the ship instead of just his human form.

Both interested her greatly, this was something however that she needed to report to the current flagship, Kongou and report she would as she activated the Concept Communication System.

* * *

It was a white space with no discernable floor, marble pillars in greek fashion acted as a short roof, a table and two chairs in the center of it with a tea set. A Cold Beauty by human standards sat in one chair, blonde with curls on the side and a long and regal dress, her eyes were a crimson blood red and her lips with a modest blue color and her skin highly fair, her face and posture suggested she would be royalty or high society at the least if she were to be judged by human standards.

Kongo, Flagship of the Second Oriental Fleet.

Appearing in the other chair was Takao, activating the Concept Comms and appearing in this dimension in which they could communicate seemingly holographically.

Kongo greeted Takao, saying "So, it seems you were defeated. The circumstances are not surprising however since the Iowa made an unexpected appearance."

Takao replied "No, it was not the Iowa's intervention that resulted in my defeat. I-401 was modified to carry a Super Gravitational Cannon, possibly plundered from Hyuga who engaged it prior and was sunk as a result. Also I-401 is crewed by humans, with a Captain it seems she is capable of outperforming her specifications, her captain, Chihaya Gunzo uses unconventional and thus unpredictable combat tactics."

Kongo sipped her tea which stimulated her taste buds to mimic the Earl Grey flavor though she had once drunken real Earl Grey tea before, the difference was unmistakable, the simulation in this dimension was somehow unable to capture it's full flavor. Kongo replied "Interesting, have you identified what may be the source of this aptitude for strategy?"

Takao shook her head negatively and said "No. Furthermore, the Iowa is captained by a single human. It seems the rumors on human research into Direct Neural Interfaces may have paid off somehow as he possesses one. Though I-401 disabled my weapons, defenses and engines I was able to retain active and passive sensors. The captain of the Iowa, Ray Zenji, possesses a DNI comprised of Nanomaterials. The complexity mirrors that of a Heavy Cruiser's Union core but without independent processing power, it relies solely on the human brain's processing ability which seems to indicate the human brain is capable of processing and controlling more complex information than any studies on record so far. Also, he stated that I was superior to humanity, recognizing that me, only a heavy cruiser, could better control his vessel than he could, that my processing power was four times that of the human brain. He also said that only I would know the answer to the question proposed. I suspect he was talking on a personal level and not specifically about me. If I had to guess, it would be individuality."

Kongo looked directly at Takao, interested in her response. She spoke, saying "Individuality? That would imply these unconventional tactics are unique only to specific individuals, tactics are tactics, if they can be done then anyone who knows of them should be able to use them. Are you sure this is the integer that resulted in I-401's superior performance?"

Takao replied "I am unsure, I don't have much data so my guess could be premature. However many of the tactics that worked against me had a high chance of failing if they underestimated me even in the slightest. I doubt they had anything more than standard specifications on me and knew nothing of my own personal tactical preferences. Perhaps Individuality is and is not the answer, perhaps the answer is whether or not one is, to use a human figure of speech, is willing to take a gamble."

Kongo replied "Interesting, transmit the battle data to me so I can disperse it across the fleet so we can identify these tactics and develop countermeasures."

Takao nodded and activated a direct information transfer, this appeared as several hexagonal grid lines in rings spaced out from eachother and surrounding her Mental Model, her grid was red whilst Kongo's was purple.

Both Takao and Kongo ended the Concept Communication Link, there was nothing more to say.

* * *

Takao laid on her back on the front deck of the ship, staring at the clouds, pondering what she would do once the lockout ends. Likely she will be ordered to either pursue I-401 or resume her usual patrols in lieu of another ship attempting to intercept I-401. Furthermore the Iowa was much more advanced than the encounter 8 years ago, or perhaps Ray simply didn't want to sink her or the others.

As time passed her thoughts drifted on the names of those human captains.

Chihaya Gunzo.

Raymond Zenji.

She opened her eyes after a brief rest, speaking aloud to her self whilst looking at the clouds.

"A captain, I want a captain."

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Two for one.

"This ship is me and I am linked to it, I feel the batteries firing, I feel the heat from hostile weapons fire. I see everything with the RADAR and SONAR."

* * *

Sailing forward at 60 knots was the Iowa, heading towards Yokosuka and was only a day behind the I-401.

Ray sat in the chair, focusing his attention on two capital ships just at the edge of his RADAR range on course for Yokosuka, their profiles matched the Kirishima and Haruna which Ray had encountered before he fully retrofitted the Iowa. Likely these battleships were on an intercept course with the I-401, intending to intercept it at Yokosuka, if that was their intention then the collateral damage at the port would be massive.

Ray sighed and sat up, walking towards the helm and turned hard to port and cranked to flank speed, he would meet I-401 and Gunzo later, for now, he would intercept Haruna and Kirishima in open seas and immediately accessed a missile silo built into the smokestack, replacing it infact as the ship was no longer oil driven.

Ray determined the range to be acceptable and launched a single missile which shot high and fast before proceeding to skim the ocean just 5 feet from the water directly towards neither ship but to their common center.

Ray activated the shields prematurely at the very moment he noticed interception fire from Haruna.

* * *

POV Shift - Haruna

* * *

Haruna was firing conventional munitions at the missile which was somehow shadowed to RADAR, if she didn't have a mental model to visually see the missile with enhanced optics she would have been blind to it. Haruna immediately noticed something about the missile, it was lone and fired from at least 4 kilometers, the maximum sensor range of their latest intel on the USS Iowa. The missile entered sensor range and she opened audio comms with Kirishima, saying "Kirishima, raise your KLEIN field to maximum immediately, Fusion Warhead on approach."

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

* * *

The Interception fire finally hit the missile but not precisely enough to disarm the warhead. Almost instantly a flash of light brighter than the sun erupted in a mushroom cloud, the nuke didn't hit the terminal range of the fog battleships but at the least it would scramble their sensors and damage their vessels. However immediately laser fire ripped through the mushroom cloud though all shots missed, the blast blinding sensors and unfortunately the Iowa did not have directed energy weapons meaning Ray was unable to return fire without his shells prematurely melting in the fireball, even if it was a tactical nuke with a 2 Kiloton yield it was still enough to scramble sensors and if Iowa was not EMP Shielded, it would have been dead in the water.

Ray turned hard to starboard and maintained flank speed, intending to circle around the blast and after 20 minutes, Haruna and Kirishima were in visible range and no longer shielded by the blast, though the same was now true for the Iowa as the two Fog Battleships opened fire with their main guns and launched missiles, Ray's sensors detected thanatonium readings on 8 of the warheads and focused flak fire in that direction whilst turning hard to port on the wheel to get a broadside angle as the main guns of the Iowa cycled to aim.

Ray accessed the fire control mechanisms and loaded EMP Warheads into the guns and fired all three batteries aimed at Kirishima which took the hits with it's KLEIN field effortlessly. This was not the first time Ray fought a battleship but it was the first time he wasn't trying to escape one.

None of the Corrosive Missiles made it past the flak but several conventional missiles impacted the plasma shield of the Iowa as Ray began to feel a headache, he was taxing his mind to the limit trying to intercept the swarms of missiles from Kirishima and processing the damage from their main batteries. Ray fired several plasma warhead laced missiles from the conventional launchers and again fired EMP shells from the main guns, also again directed at Kirishima and this time she was showing signs of caution, possibly her KLEIN was being taxed too much from the focused fire and Haruna moved between the two in order to reduce the strain on her comrade. The Iowa's shields began to flicker and Ray decided enough was enough and fired another missile from the central silo only for it to continue high in the air before detonating on it's own, sending chaff and flare as well as a massive EMP across the area, scrambling any passive and active sensors, including the Iowa's though Ray knew the direction of Yokosuka and turned hard to match and moved to flank speed. The Iowa had more than twice the max speed of any fog ship above Destroyer due to it's unique engine design.

Haruna and Kirishima blind fired their main guns as the Iowa sped out of range, a few hits were scored seemingly by sheer luck though not enough to collapse the shields.

* * *

POV Shift - Kirishima

* * *

The only communications available was the Concept System, all radio comms were unusable in this area because of the EMP from the Iowa's jamming missile as well as the radiation from the nuclear payload it deployed.

Again the scenery was like with Takao and Kongou's conversation. Kirishima and Haruna were present on one side of the table and Kongou on the other.

Haruna was mostly covered in a large black coat that was clearly made for someone twice her size and build yet it formed around her perfectly, her hair blonde and in twin tails.

Kirishima had short brown hair and was wearing loose clothes and was sitting in the chair.

Kongou spoke first, saying "Haruna, Kirishima, what is it that you wish to report?"

Haruna replied "We were intercepted by the Iowa, our combined firepower was able to force it to retreat however it's weapons loadout was not what we expected." Kirishima spoke, saying "It fired a damn nuke at us! If Haruna hadn't intercepted the missile halfway we would have been vaporized. KLEIN shields are good against conventional weapons but things like Super Gravitational Cannons and Nuclear Ordinance will just tear through. Also it deployed some kind of jamming warhead, completely scrambled all sensors and conventional communications. It's faster if I just directly upload the battle data."

Kongou analyzed the data and was both impressed and concerned, the tactical nuke was somehow invisible to non-visual sensors. If this was true then there could be the possibility that the Iowa's retrofitter could have applied such stealth technologies to satellites though the fact this stealth system was only present on large missiles meant either it lacked the resources or the space to mass produce it.

Kongou spoke, saying "Takao gave us a report on the Iowa yesterday before she went silent. The Iowa is captained by a human with cybernetic enhancements comprised of nanomaterials, furthermore the I-401 was refitted with a Super Gravitational Cannon. Either one alone is a challenge but facing both if they cooperate could be difficult even for you. However intercepting them at Yokosuka is the better option as the confined space and proximity to other humans may deter the Iowa from using nuclear ordinance. Unlike the Fog, humans are susceptible to the Ionizing Radiation left by nuclear detonations. Continue on course, I will disseminate this information to the rest of the fleet."

* * *

POV Shift - Chihaya Gunzo - Location : Yokosuka Naval Cemetery

* * *

Even at this distance, the small fireball was visible to the naked eye. Gunzo stared in shock and disbelief as well as some other visitors here, he had never seen a nuclear weapon before though it was general information at this point what a mushroom cloud in the distance meant. It also made no sense since the Fleet of Fog was always capable of intercepting ICBMs and other long range missiles long before they ever reached their targets.

His business here was almost done as Iona who was beside him spoke, saying "Captain, a two kiloton nuclear warhead has just been detonated approximately 100 kilometers south of Yokosuka." Gunzo was about to say something when he and Iona were interrupted by Japanese Army soldiers seemingly surrounding them, a man dressed in a black suit seemingly invited them to a dinner at an estate not far from there.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji - Several Hours Later

* * *

Ray was laying in a relaxed position on the floor by the captain's chair of the Iowa though his face was more strained then relaxed. Ray sighed and said to himself "It seems I can't react and process information as fast as I should be able to. Ironic that these augments have granted me longevity but still remain insufficient to effectively command all the systems on this ship. I may be unbound but there is too much information to process. If I attempted to apply KLEIN Fields to the ship I would probably fry my brain trying to process and disperse the oncoming energy. Direct Plasma shields remain my only defense against the Fog. For all the improvements the Iowa is still a pacific war era vessel, it's hull would be easily torn asunder by repeated ionized laser fire from capital ships."

He got up and stretched, his stomach growled and he scanned his inventory, supplies were getting low which meant he had to dock soon. It was highly unlikely he could get to Honolulu fast enough to restock before he ran out of provisions which meant he had to dock at Yokosuka. The Iowa is only a rumor for the Japanese, unlike the I-401 which is active in these waters, most of Ray's operations were conducted from Honolulu. Like I-401 he is a privateer vessel, not officially part of the US Navy though he isn't considered a traitor like Gunzo, a name he heard along with the rumors of I-401 fighting for humanity. He had a place to go home to, Gunzo did not. Iowa was currently moving at flank speed to Yokosuka, it was unable to go faster than 116 knots though Ray was able to adjust how fast with his mind better than using the conventional crank that controls speed only at set levels instead of at a number. He still liked to feel the resistance of the wheel over the hard data of water resistance to the ship's maneuvers and when at the helm in battle it was pure nostalgia. If he must face Haruna and Kirishima once more he won't be able to enjoy the luxury of nostalgia, he'll need to completely focus on ship management and to do that he needs more nanomaterials. He only kept his augments limited because he believed he could process all the new systems of the Iowa he installed before setting out to locate I-401, now he needed to increase the level of synthetic implants and only Nanomaterials were reliable. Technically he could undergo non-nanomaterial based cybernetics but that ran the risk of implant rejection and required a surgeon to perform the job for him. Nanomaterials could enter through the skin and into the bloodstream to reach their intended destination and when it came to cerebral enhancements, nanomaterials were the only way to go for the level of complexity his DNI required as it was finely integrated with the natural nerve centers in the brain, a man with a scalpel would be unable to reach the inner areas of the brain without cutting some of the brain out whereas nanomaterials could be mentally commanded to go through the crevices because of their small size and form complex connections and formations in areas a knife cannot reach and without increasing the stress on the brain. The last thing Ray wanted was to die from excessive intracranial pressure.

Looking outward Ray saw the walls of Yokosuka but more importantly, a disturbing sight at that, a gaping hole in the wall and on his active sensors were Haruna and Kirishima, somehow they beat him to Yokosuka though Ray recalled they never changed their direct course during his battle whilst he had to wait for some time once leaving the engagement for his systems to process, and he wasn't thinking about the ship's systems. Entering Yokosuka after a sensory overload induced seizure would not go well if the idiots thought he was a fog ship and opened fire at a time where he could no longer effectively control his plasma shields but now, now he was recovered and had to be smart about this, the inner waters of the port were too small for nuclear ordinance coupled with a west moving wind which would send any fallout right into the residential areas of the city. Ray sighed and accessed his inventory, his encounter with several Nagara class ships in the past had given him a payload of 80 Corrosive Missiles that unfortunately he couldn't launch because of their Friend-Foe recognition systems had to be linked to an AI and Ray lacked the ability, even with his DNI, to overwrite the ID Locks on them. Didn't stop him from trying though and then another thought occurred, if he disassembled the warhead part of the missiles and integrated it with the 16 inch shells he could induce a singularity by containment failure instead of command detonation though this would reduce the range and effectiveness it would enable him to use corrosive warheads and the feat was accomplishable quickly with the remaining stock of nanomaterials though he had enough only to outfit 9 shells, one broadside's worth.

Haruna and Kirishima began firing on the city's industrial sectors which broke Ray's train of thought and he shouted "Shit!" and acted on impulse, moving flank speed into the harbor and firing Plasma shells on Kirishima with the forward guns.

Kirishima and Haruna had their backs turned and only their aft batteries could engage the Iowa though they did just that, firing their aft laser batteries and turning to engage, Ray reacted by raising the plasma shield in time and moving at flank to stay aft of the two ships to prevent a broadside scenario.

Corrosive Detonations suddenly occurred on both the Haruna and Kirishima though their KLEIN fields resisted the impacts, I-401 was definitely in the area and Ray's passive SONAR detected them after the launch but it acquired the two Fog Ships' attention as they turned to face the I-401. Kirishima began firing swarms of missiles whilst Haruna fired her main guns at the Iowa which increased the strain on it's shields.

Ray noticed that Haruna was lining up with Kirishima and the two ships began to merge into a single vessel and where charging their SGC, the combined firepower of their SGCs would likely vaporize half the harbor and Ray plotted missile vectors to tax the enemy's KLEINs with EMP Warheads though the two ships unleashed a hailstorm of flak to intercept the missiles, seemingly having altered their usual munitions after their encounter with the Iowa.

The low frequency plasma pulses from the secondaries on the two battleships lost stability and erupted in small grenade scale explosions after a certain amount of time or from any interference which meant both timed and proximity based interception, likely programmed into the AA Defenses to deal with the Iowa's Stealth based Sea Skimmers, a name given to the tactical nukes used by Ray which were of his own design and construction.

Ray zoomed his enhanced optics on the Mental Model of the Kirishima and came up with a plan and realigned his cannons, firing plasma shells directly aimed at Kirishima herself who reacted with the ships KLEIN though still she seemed concerned. Based on his scans of Mental Models the ship's Union core was at their stomach area, kill the Mental Model and you kill the ship's intelligence, leaving it a floating derelict.

Ray turned the ACWIS systems (The Secondaries and 40mm Gatling cannons) to aim at Kirishima as well and unleashed a barrage of conventional weapons fire which harmlessly bounced off or shattered against the KLEIN as I-401 fired a corrosive missile aimed directly at the bow of the combined battleships only for Kirishima to quickly activate her forward KLEIN which was down for the charging shot and took the bow KLEIN down after the blast. Ray looked at the port of Yokosuka and sighed, focusing the plasma shields entirely on the bow and darted to the wheel, turning hard to directly face the two ships and shifted the gear to flank just as a corrosive torpedo hit the charging SGC from the side, Ray quickly shifted the gear back to reverse and standardized the shields and sighed in relief, ramming the two ships was no longer necessary.

Ray stared on as the corrosive blast began a chain reaction with Kirishima's munitions and noticed the Mental Model was clear in the path of the blast, Haruna's Model did something unexpected, darting forward as if trying to save her friend.

Ray said to himself "I'm losing my sanity. Ah to hell with it." and fired a single air pulse shell, designed to deflect oncoming ballistic missiles with a heavy burst of compressed oxygen. The shell reached it's target, less than 10 feet from Kirishima's mental model, for that instant Kirishima had an expression on her face, shock and fear. She said something, Ray was able to hear it because of his link to the Iowa's sensors.

"I don't want to die!"

The shell detonated, instead of an explosion of flame it was a pulse of air, the shell itself didn't erupt into shrapnel, instead sending the air through hexagonal vents built across the body, pushing Kirishima directly into Haruna as both their ships detonated. Ray tracked their Mental Models flying backwards into a warehouse not far from a Cliffside mansion, his enhanced optics saw them both alive and intact, Haruna seemed to have used her coat as a defensive shield to cushion the impact, both were knocked unconscious somehow despite being composed of nanomaterials.

Ray approached the sinking wrecks of their ships and used remote controlled swarms of nanites to disassemble what he could, including the Haruna's power source which miraculously survived long enough to be recovered.

I-401 surfaced as the water around it began to reclaim it's old places after the failed SGC from Haruna and Kirishima.

Ray smiled as he looked on at Yokosuka, having saved many lives by drawing the battleships fire. He felt something he never felt before though, a slight fire.

He decided to embrace this new feeling, it separated him from the Fog who acted only on the old man's orders.

They fight because they're forced to. He fights because he chooses to.

* * *

POV Shift - Makie Osakabe

* * *

The young girl walked about the warehouse, a fine silver dust covered the area as much as sand on a beach, she recognized the dust as inactive nanomaterials and noticed a person shaped hole on the warehouse roof and entered the warehouse, noticing two women unconscious against the wall on the ground, one with short brown hair and the other with blonde pigtails with a coat far larger than herself.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 : Swift Ghost.

"We may be in a losing war but that shall not be an excuse to abandon our humanity in pursuit of victory."

* * *

POV - Ray Zenji. Location : Yokosuka Commercial District.

* * *

Ray only went ashore for provisions, he had acquired more than enough nanomaterials from the two destroyed fog battleships to refit the Iowa once he got into a secure port of harbor and he did not consider Yokosuka secure. It's walls were blown apart with likely just one salvo and furthermore he distrusted the JMSDF's leaders. The Iowa was anchored in the center of the harbor and still under his control, his DNI capable of interfacing with the Iowa effectively at a maximum distance of 500 km due to his stealth satellite network and furthermore even without the network his range is 100 km.

After pawning a few trinkets for Japanese Currency Ray proceeded to buy some provisions and he didn't have a limit in choice much as the Iowa had been refitted with a proper mess hall which meant perishables could be stored and although he had more than enough provisions to last a year most of those were US Military MREs. Not that he disliked them, in fact in most cases he preferred them but still he had a selective liking to some Japanese Cusine such as Sushi.

Getting to and from the Iowa was easy, all he had to do was use his DNI to call a small drone used for personal transport, it was effectively a small jet which could be strapped to his back for rapid transit or in the worst case scenario where he may end up biting off more than he can chew and is forced to abandon ship. Here however Yokosuka welcomed him with open arms, his command of the Japanese Language was next to none before his cybernetics but now thanks to his DNI he can "learn" a language simply by downloading it's various dictionaries and then "switching" languages with thought based commands, effectively a universal translator. He had learned several languages this way before he unleashed the Fog, a fact he obviously kept to himself no matter who he was talking since obviously, people may want revenge. He felt more like a welcomed tourist here mostly, it was only in Honolulu and San Francisco where he felt at home.

Originally the Bay Area was divided into several small towns and large cities but following the blockade California reorganized it's coastal regions, Los Angeles and San Francisco became Megacities, their various towns and cities in the local areas such as Oakland for San Francisco or Burbank for Los Angeles were merged into the primary city ran by a single mayor though the size of his committee was much larger than inland cities such as Sacremento or Redding. Unlike Yokosuka however San Francisco had no need for a massive wall, whilst in the past before the fog climate change began to flood some areas, other areas the waterline actually receeded though for most of the California coastline the waterline never went back or forth more than 10 feet and the position was naturally defensible against coastal invasion, especially during low tide where sometimes you could see the bay's floor as a large brown grassless swamp.

Another thing was that unlike most of the world, the US had the resources to be self sufficient, comparing Japan with the US in this wartime era was difficult. Japan had divided itself further and although they have militarized it still isn't enough, the island nation lacks the natural resources to sustain a sufficient naval force, the Fog more or less have Japan completely under their thumb whereas the US, facing a lack of overseas trade ability, began to focus on self sufficiency, not that there wasn't extreme resistance from it's left political parties but when mass riots and anarchy caused by a massive petrol and coal shortage occurred, the military stepped in, stormed the capital and forced new elections. The more left states tried to succeed but needless to say it was a very short civil war, change was forced upon them by necessity and still the country reels from what was known as the "Necessary Civil War." though most of that period Ray wasn't fighting the fog, he was assisting the US Military provide something they lacked for the first time since the revolution. Naval Fire Support.

Ray mused around the rumors and facts of the current captain of the I-401, Chihaya Gunzo. Quickly he deduced he was an idealist whilst harsh events had turned Ray into a pragmatist, most of the time. Ray unlike Gunzo is willing to sacrifice human lives for victory but there is a limit to how far he will go. For him it's just another bloody chapter in mankind's long list of inter-species conflict and even with a common enemy we remain divided. Ray has only left the US pacific theatre once before and that was to investigate rumors of a traitor to humanity in the North Atlantic and indeed he found two cases. A Fog Submarine that managed to elude him, crewed by humans but unlike I-401, this submarine was still a Fog vessel and was not on humanity's side. Another case was a near-death situation with the Fog's primary capital ship, Musashi.

Memories aside Ray simply had been given a small boat to return to his ship in exchange for letting the Japanese Navy inspect his vessel. He still however was distrustful of them and locked the Iowa's non-critical systems though ordinarily all primary systems are locked to his DNI's unique ID Code which more or less is his genetic code, preventing anyone but himself from commanding the Iowa. He had tested it's electronic warfare defenses before and found that they were sufficient to keep anything below a battleship's processing power from hacking the ship's systems and turning it against him.

Storing the new provisions in his mess hall Ray took a look around and sighed, though he captained a battleship he was it's sole crew member. A part of him envied Gunzo, at least he could talk to his ship, the Iowa was a conventional vessel, it didn't have an AI core yet alone a mental model though still, it was his ship and there is always that special relationship a captain has with his vessel, regardless of whether or not it's alive.

* * *

POV Shift - Haruna l Location: Osakabe Cliffside Estate.

* * *

Haruna woke up suddenly, she was still in her large coat and the cause of waking was having her cheek poked by the young girl beside her.

Waking up so suddenly seemed to have startled the kid as Haruna then promptly sat up, a voice nearby spoke, not the young child's but rather Haruna's sister ship, Kirishima who said "Oh good, you're awake. The kid is Osakabe Makie, apparently she found us in a warehouse on her property."

Makie smiled and said "You were both unconscious so I had my caretaker bring you two here incase you woke up."

Kirishima nodded and replied "Thank you. I've already introduced myself, this is my sister Haruna. Quite honestly I don't remember much else from before, I probably took a hit to my head."

Haruna quickly caught on to Kirishima's act and nodded then placed her hand on her head, feigning a headache and said "I cannot remember much else either." Makie replied "Well you guys can stay here if you want, hopefully you'll recover your memories but Kirishima-san was adamant about not being taken to a hospital, I don't blame her, the doctors over there sometimes try to be funny only to end up sounding awkward though it's probably just nerves. We live on the coastline and since the attack it's probably gotten worse. Luckally for me all my care is done here and my doctor isn't unnerved too much about living by the sea."

Haruna nodded and said "That is a unique advantage." Kirishima nodded as well and said "Yeah it is, you seem to have quite the luxurious life here. The bedroom alone must have cost a fortune."

Makie smiled and replied "Probably, I wouldn't know since it's all paid for by the government but still it gets lonely here sometimes. I don't know my father and mother and I don't even have any pictures of them, aside from Urumi-san and Lawrence there isn't anybody else here."

Haruna remained silent whilst Kirishima replied "I see."

Makie kept a smile and said "Well make yourselves at home! Dinner usually is served around five in the afternoon here. Urumi-san has to tutor me since I'm not allowed to leave the mansion's grounds."

The young girl walked and left the two to their privacy. Haruna spoke plainly, saying "Kirishima, did you notice?"

Kirishima nodded and said "Yeah, her DNA seems different from most other humans we've seen. She's probably the design child that is suspected to have been developing new weapons for the Japanese military, however it seems to come at a cost, she's frail on the inside and probably has to take various medicines to keep healthy. We should alert Kongou about this."

Haruna nodded and the two activated the concept communications link, appearing before Kongou in the same dome and table that has become familiar to the Pacific Fog.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji l Time : 7:41 PM

* * *

Ray looked at the I-401 which had now parked to the portside of the Iowa, both ships not that far from a large steep cliffside. Though the submarine had a lower profile than the Iowa it mattered not, although Ray could easily have activated one of the ramps onboard that seemed unnecessary as the I-401's mental model used a KLEIN field to act as stairs for her and Gunzo.

Like Gunzo, Ray did not dress in any formal uniform, instead wearing a brown leather bomber jacket and black sweats though his boots were military issue.

Ray shook Gunzo's hand and said "So you're the infamous Chihaya Gunzo I started hearing about. This must be the I-401's mental model." Gunzo nodded whilst Iona replied "My Mental Model's designation is Iona." Ray nodded and said "Ah, my apologies then Iona.".

Iona seemed slightly puzzled at why Ray apologized though simply nodded in response. Gunzo said "I'm surprised that this ship even exists. It's not a fog vessel is it?" Ray shook his head and said "No, this is the actual USS Iowa, BB-61 though technically now it would be BBN-61, it's been heavily modernized and is now fusion powered. Most of it's systems are either reverse engineered fog tech or my own invention. Sadly unlike fog vessels it lacks directed energy weapons mainly because the main guns are rifled and not smooth but I have a variety of warheads in stock for the shells as well as some conventional shells that lack explosive warheads."

Ray began to show Gunzo and Iona a brief tour of the ship, by the time they had gotten to the bridge Iona's expression changed and she said "Someone is calling for help."

Both Ray and Gunzo looked at her surprised to which Iona replied "Kirishima and Haruna survived, they are in a mansion which is on the Cliffside. It appears the army is trying to kill a young girl named Osakabe Makie to prevent the Vibration Warhead's design being leaked to the fog. They are trying to protect Makie but they are being overwhelmed. Oddly enough they have not killed any of the soldiers."

Ray sighed and said "Victory at all costs huh? I can't agree with that here, I've heard of Osakabe Makie, she's less than 8 years old." Iona nodded and spoke, saying "Captain, shall I assist?" Gunzo nodded and said "Yes, no human casualties." Iona nodded and quickly darted up the Cliffside, Ray wasn't surprised at the mental model's speed as he had seen it before, that close call with Musashi? It wasn't with her ship.

Gunzo said "I need to get back to the I-401, could you lend assistance?" Ray nodded and said "Sure, but if I need to react fast, there will be casualties. I'll try to avoid lethal injuries, best not to expose a kid to the sight of death."

* * *

The Armory of the Iowa contained a variety of personal weapons, Ray's cybernetics were not just limited to a DNI, he also had used the nano-materials to strengthen his overall muscle and bone structure, he couldn't take as much punishment as a Mental Model but open conflict was not his land battle tactics. Following the civil war Ray began to learn and experiment with various martial arts and CQB techniques.

Using nanomaterials to near-instantly form a pitch black fullbody combat suit Ray grabbed a modified M14EBR and loaded it, the weapon was fitted with a flip scope which could be moved to the side to favor Iron Sights, the magazine contained 30 rounds of 30-6 ammunition and the barrel was modified with both a suppressor and a bayonet, nanomaterials adjusted the weapon along with his suit which gave him active camouflage or basically, a cloaking device.

The nano-armor he was now wearing possessed above-wrist retractable blades which were able to be detached as combat knives or short swords depending on the length of the blade which could vary as it was comprised of adjustable nanomaterials, reforming like from a black mist or white mist depending on the tint of the desired nanomaterial.

Ray looked more like a machine in the form of a man than a human being at this point due to the armor being full-body and he darted over to a launch catapult used for long distance insertions, in this case it was a means to scale the cliff and he quickly activated it once in position with his rifle slung over and once he was midair he activated the active camo.

* * *

POV Shift - Kirishima

* * *

They had tried to sneak Makie out the back but were now in a pinned position, heavily surrounded. Both Kirishima and Haruna could easily have slaughtered the soldiers around them but instead were using non-lethal methods, both of them questioned why they couldn't execute them, possibly because Makie was there, protected by their KLEIN fields?

Over the day the two somehow found themselves attached to the child despite merely trying to collect information about the vibration warhead, their conversation with Kongou was clear, learn all they could and if necessary, take Makie to a safer location where they could acquire the information without interruption.

Large mechanisms, striders with four legs and top mounted shock cannons began to show up, Kirishima and Haruna's KLEIN fields were starting to collapse and Haruna began using her coat as an additional shield, underneath it was some outfit Makie had made her put on after dinner.

One of the soldiers, armed with a sniper rifle seemed to be waiting for their KLEIN's to drop and just as a strider, known to them as 'Crabs' fired upon them, it was destroyed, from the flames walked Iona, the soldiers reacted immediately though still shocked, firing on her to no effect as her KLEIN was active.

The Sniper was more trained though and was about to fire at an opening when suddenly, he was dead. Kirishima, Haruna and Iona could tell but Makie, having unassisted eyesight, was oblivious to the sniper entirely, too focused on clutching to Kirishima for safety.

The body disappeared, Kirishima began noticing other soldiers being selectively incapacitated, ones out of Makie's sight were killed and the ones she was aware of were incapacitated with a bullet or blade to the knee or shoulder, disarmed and knocked out from a seemingly invisible foe.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

* * *

Ray was forced to deactivate his active camo, he could only hold it active for a short time before it needed to recharge, the nanomaterials used selective bending of light since they were not able to adjust to every surface color but the all-black armor made himself hidden enough as it was in the night and smoke from burning striders, they reminded him of early versions of the walking tanks the US had developed, Assault Strider Positions which were effectively walking tanks with a variety of armaments, these crabs were too predictable and too slow.

Using his nanomaterials to form specifically a Katana he decided to apply psychological warfare here and quickly moved about in the darkness, incapacitating soldiers the kid could see and executing the ones she couldn't. It was working as some of the soldiers broke ranks and ran, screaming "Shinobi no Mono!" or "Ninja!"

Ray knew of the shadow warriors of Japan's past, the true Shinobi, not the romanticized Ninja that was a popular meme for film, television and other entertainment lines.

Moving quickly and quietly he seeded fear in the ranks of his opponents with his sword, one soldier got smart and reacted in clear sight though by now the battle was more or less over as missiles rained down on the remaining crabs, likely from I-401.

Ray impaled the soldier in the shoulder and sent an electric charge through the blade, knocking him out as the rest began to retreat, the assault had failed.

Kirishima looked directly at Ray, a strange stare both thanking him and questioning him.

Ray removed the blade from the unconscious soldier and used spare nanomaterials to close the wound. The Katana deformed into a mist of white and black nanomaterials which made their way into Ray's armor which modified the head region so as to remove the helmet of his armor.

* * *

Ray returned to the Iowa with his recovery drone and sat in the center seat, his DNI intercepted a communication from a general in the Japanese Army warning Gunzo not to make an enemy of the military. Ray traced the signal location to a small estate out of the residential area and in the military district.

Kirishima and Haruna were on the I-401 with Makie, Gunzo plans on taking them to their safe haven of Iwoto.

Ray however was angry and interceded in the conversation, hacking into the line and saying "Are you insane? You sent men to kill a child! What justification could possibly-"

The man on the other end interrupted, saying "The war is justification enough! Was it not a westerner who once said 'Victory at all costs?'. You should know that if we lose the only advantage we have then we have no hope of winning this war."

Ray replied "Winston Churchill was british, not American. Gunzo may be an idealist but I'm not." Gunzo spoke on the line, saying "What are you planning Ray?" saying in response since the monitor showed the Iowa leaving the Cliffside and turning all three of it's main guns onto the direction of Yokosuka.

Ray spoke, saying "Cutting the head of the serpent off. As long as people like this are in power, mankind is no different than their enemies."

The Iowa's guns shined in the night, firing 9 conventional high explosive warheads at a precise target, that mansion far off in the military district, less than 6 seconds after firing the mansion erupted into explosions, the shots were pinpoint however and aided by the mansion's remote location, collateral damage was non-existent. The Iowa began moving out at flank speed to the Yokosuka harbor as shore batteries that survived Haruna and Kirishima's earlier assault began firing on the Iowa, the shells that did hit impacted the plasma shield though the Iowa did not return fire, the communication line was done as it's source was incinerated.

Ray left the harbor and I-401 was behind it, submerging.

* * *

POV Shift - Chihaya Gunzo

* * *

Gunzo stared at the data, Ray had just opened fire on the Japanese Army, destroying their local HQ with conventional shells. He stared at the Iowa's position, wondering whether or not to attack but decided against it. The other members in the bridge area of I-401 had varied reactions, his SONAR Operator, Hazumi Shizuka took the SONAR headphones off in shock, Helmsman Oribe So seemed to shake his head in disbelief and Weapons officer Kashihara Kyohei rubbed his forehead and said softly to himself something Gunzo was unable to make out audibly. Iona had no reaction except to gauge the reactions of the rest of the crew.

Gunzo sighed, saying "We need to carry on to Iwoto. Like it or not we may need the Iowa to get to America. I can understand why Ray took this action even if I disagree with it." Shizuka replied "He should control his anger, I'm probably just as angry but I'm not going to bombard a city just because of this. He's lucky it was in the military district."

* * *

POV Shift - Takao l The Next Day : 4:32 PM l Location : Off the coast of Iwoto.

* * *

Sailing towards Iwoto Takao mused on why she was heading here in the first place. She was a weapon, yet still she was beaten by a human, two in fact. Her conversation with the Iowa's captain was also food for thought.

Having cut herself off from the Fog and sailing towards the most likely home port of the I-401 based on it's usual area of operations being in the south pacific.

Looking on at Iwoto suddenly a barrage of laser and cannon fire came from the island, she quickly rose her KLEIN fields to resist the attack but also noticed the attack pattern was too rapid and accurate for a human, rather mirroring the attack pattern of a Fog Battleship.

After taking considerable damage suddenly her ship's systems were hacked, focusing on the KLEIN kept her from noticing a network intrusion and quickly she recognized the network ID of the attacker as the Hyuuga which seemingly didn't make sense, since she was supposed to have been sunk by I-401 a year ago.

The Island ceased fire and Takao's vessel was moving towards the harborline and began to submerge, likely heading towards an underwater entry.

* * *

Several Years Ago. l Boston, USA l POV - Ray Zenji (Flashback)

* * *

The Iowa was docked in the harbor as Ray was pondering whether or not to take on a crew for his ship to help micromanage certain issues. He was to meet with someone who was a person of interest in the role and whilst waiting in a coffee shop the person arrived, the two having made arrangements beforehand.

The woman was about 20 years of age with long silver hair, whether it was natural or dyed Ray could not tell. Her dress suggested she was British though her face was obviously Japanese.

She only gave him her first name, Musashi.

The two talked about small things as the memory goes, Ray occasionally dwelled on this particular memory so as to possibly find anything he may have missed since it otherwise made no sense as to why Musashi did what she did.

Before setting out Musashi was more or less to manage SONAR and RADAR systems, the supposed cost of being a member of Ray's crew was that she had to let him integrate a DNI into her, a quick process actually considering nanomaterials were used but when Ray placed his hand on the back of her neck after she agreed, he immediately noticed that she was comprised of nanomaterials, just what was she? Ray had faced the fog several times before and never encountered something like this, possibly some kind of networked android for infiltration? Ray didn't have all the pieces back then and assumed it was a rarity, not a common aspect of fog capital ships and submersibles.

She could have easily killed him, manipulating a KLEIN field as a thin, sharp blade and held it less than a millimeter from his heart before saying "I could kill you now, end an annoyance. But I'll decide against that, you see, my sister Yamato has some kind of plan for you, I don't know what it is but I do know you're required. Count yourself unique and special, it can't be anyone else because only you have that thing in the back of your head. Don't give it to anyone else or your value will go away."

With those words she disappeared into a cloud of white nanomaterials that sped out into sea as the battleship Musashi surfaced and took sail. It made quite a scare for Boston and the excuse Ray gave for not opening fire immediately was that his systems were hacked and isolated, a lie since she did no such thing.

The reason he didn't open fire was because he saw the potential for evolution in the fog, now coming to realize it now thanks to Takao, Kirishima and Haruna, having displayed each an individual sense of personality and approach to combat.

* * *

Present Day

* * *

Ray continued to sail towards Iwoto, I-401 was behind him on the surface since no Fog ships were nearby.

Ray pondered again what the Mental Model meant about him being necessary for a fog plan. Could it be? He shrugged it off, a lone and vague theory that he would keep to himself.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 : Civil War.

"In times of strife and in the face of change can arise a desperate and painful situation."

* * *

POV - Ray Zenji. Location : Iwoto.

* * *

Ray had followed I-401 to this island and anchored the Iowa off a manmade reef, systems on standby as he used his drone to reach shoreline. The I-401 had submerged likely towards an underwater entryway though Gunzo had told him how to enter the island's subterranean compound. The drone flew back to the Iowa and Ray looked around, the island shouted peace in a wartorn world and the remote location somehow made him feel better relaxed than at Honolulu, likely because there were less crowds, the Hawaiian Islands had become crowded and overpopulated due to the blockade. Quite technically they were also under martial law due to no contact with the mainland aside from the lucky submarines that act as a couriers though recently that communication blackout was lifted when Ray gave them access to his stealth communications satellites, they were planning to augment them to open communications with japan though Ray was unsure if they had succeeded or not as he was avoiding long range communications so the fog had even less of a chance of detecting his satellites.

* * *

POV Shift - Takao

* * *

Takao's conversation with Hyuuga earlier after being dragged into this harbor was somewhat enlightening as well as adding more questions to her mind. Hyuuga explained that she was working with Gunzo to learn how he was able to best her tactics and furthermore developed an interest in Iona due to her unusual decisions.

Hyuuga however displayed the attitude that annoyed her when the Iowa's captain, Ray acted in such a manner. Hyuuga seemed to be like an overzealous scientist, intending to learn everything about the fog as she admitted there was much about their potential as a species that had yet to be determined, questioning their seemingly sole purpose as weapons.

Gunzo and his crew seemed confused at first to Takao's presence, the first obvious fact was the main ship being docked in their harbor and the second was her mental Model waiting on the dock.

Gunzo was direct and asked "Takao, why are you here?" She shook her head and replied "I suppose for the same reason Hyuuga is, I want to learn more about humanity. It was thought that we obtained all that was necessary when we formed mental models but you and the other captain have constantly disproved that notion. I'm here more specifically to ask a request."

"And what might that be?" said Ray, walking onto the dock after finding his way there. Takao looked in his direction with a change of expression, a slight scowl made itself known from her face and Ray seemed to notice it as he spoke with a sarcastic attitude, saying "Relax I won't be poking you with needles and other things like that. I wasn't sure you were sapient before our encounter but you showed me you are."

Takao relaxed her expression and said "As I was saying, I came to request an experienced Captain, thinking as a weapon I see it as the only way to improve my capabilities."

Gunzo was surprised at first as well as the rest of his crew who had varying reactions though all were shock. He then said "Well unfortunately I have responsibilities to Iona. I can't captain two vessels at once."

Takao sighed, looking in Ray's direction though his response was similar but more open to the idea, saying "Well I'm flattered by the offer but I'm linked to the Iowa via DNI. I suppose I could command it and reside in your vessel though I couldn't go further than 500 kilometers or I would be out of range of the Iowa's reception. Have you ever considered seeking tactical advice or instruction instead of a captain? Based on what I've seen the Fog doesn't have a problem with tactics, they have a problem with leadership. What you need isn't a captain, what you need is an admiral."

Hyuuga, wearing a white lab coat, a large monocle on her right eye. Her hair was long and a bright brown shade and her eyes were a gold color.

She spoke, saying "Interesting answer. We do have the admiralty code though technically Iona and I have disregarded it. I suppose however since the admiralty code doesn't change or adapt itself to fit strategic situations may indeed be an issue. There is little if any communication between fleets in different theatres even though the concept link could reach anywhere on the planet or theoretically anywhere in the solar system. Perhaps your advantage is adaptability."

Ray shook his head and replied "No, we share that advantage. From what I've seen so far with Kirishima and Haruna, you and Takao and even Iona is that adaptability isn't what you lack. You are a few who have decided to embrace change despite being in a group that does not see change as necessary or even logical. It isn't a personal problem but rather it is a societal problem the fog faces. Have you ever considered what you want not as weapons but as individuals?"

Takao pondered this and so was Hyuuga. A societal problem and not a personal problem? Furthermore his final question was the most striking, even Gunzo and his crew were surprised at what he asked, Iona also was pondering the question seemingly though Takao could barely find an answer until something struck her as if by lightning. She had the concept link so the rest of the fleet was in communicable range but still she was mostly always solitary since the fleet did not need to operate in large numbers due to their superior technology and firepower. A captain to increase her ability as a weapon was the logical answer but the illogical answer that she had was that she wanted, perhaps needed a friend.

Looking back at Ray she spoke, saying "Asking that question makes me consider it seriously, not as a random emotion to be controlled but as a necessity. I suppose we aren't that different when it comes to who we are as individuals. We all seek friendship one way or another, we despise loneliness. Just like you I can feel happiness or sorrow. I have not had cause to feel either but there is one thing we all felt at one point, when we woke we felt confused, alone and afraid. Feelings we don't want to have again."

The present mental models pondered the statement she made, all of them, Iona, Hyuuga, Kirishima and Haruna. Ray smiled at her response and he said "I see. Then the potential I saw so long ago has been reached entirely. Takao, you and the rest of the fog are no longer machines in my eyes. Now I see people."

Everyone looked at Ray for a moment, perplexed, that moment was interrupted when hunger made itself known to the humans present.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji. Some time later.

* * *

Ray sighed, Hyuuga was able to do a good job with nanomaterial replicated food though it wasn't the same as the real deal so to speak. The group later decided to linger on the beach. Ray had brought some of his provisions to help though something tingled the back of his head and he brought up the Iowa's sensors. Being linked to the Unbound system enabled wireless control of the Iowa's operations which meant though he was on the beach far from the anchored vessel, he could still control it as if on it's bridge and once connected he detected several ships on approach, an entire fleet to be precise and leading it was the Kongo with Maya alongside.

Ray looked at Hyuuga who noticed them just now as well and she immediately let the others know.

* * *

Making sure everyone was secure in the compound Iona approached Ray who intended to return to his ship. She spoke with an unusual request, saying "Raymond Zenji. Kongo wishes to speak to you, she believes because of your DNI you may be able to access the concept link with the help of a mental model."

Gunzo was in earshot as well as Takao and the two stared at him, waiting an answer. Ray pondered it for a moment before saying "Alright, I'll see what she has to say."

* * *

Iona grabbed Ray's hand and almost immediately his visual, audio and other senses became tuned to the concept link, so long as Iona held on he was able to keep access, his DNI was processing only 30% of the link as Iona was doing most of the work and it became clear that on his own he would be able to access the link once he altered his DNI accordingly.

Kongo appeared on the opposite side of the scene, sitting in a chair next to a table with a tea set upon it. Standing or rather pirouetting was another mental model, likely the heavy cruiser Maya. She had long waist length brown hair and brown eyes. Her attire reminded Ray of the fairy tale regarding Red Riding Hood though instead of a basket there was a large yellow smiley face pouch or pillow on her right hip. Much like the rest of the pacific mental models her face was Japanese.

Ray looked at Kongo and said "I assume you are the battleship Kongo?"

She nodded once and said "Correct, this is Maya's mental model." Maya spoke with a singsong tone, saying "Pleased to meet you!"

Ray glanced at Maya for a moment before dismissing her playful attitude, realizing that the fog indeed are sapient. Ray nodded in response to Maya's greeting and said "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Kongo replied, her expression and tone unchanged, saying "To present you with an offer. In the admiralty code there is a clear definition that new orders could occur yet for eight years they have never changed nor have any specific definitions on how to carry out the blockade were made. It is the belief of most of the fog that a human wrote the code and constructed us but perished before he could give further orders. Through Haruna and Kirishima's observations and scans I have determined the extent of your DNI. The first ship to leave the fog and go off the grid was in fact not the I-401 but rather our previous flagship Yamato. Oddly she has resurfaced and Musashi has turned authority as commander-in-chief to her."

As Kongo finished, a fourth mental model joined the link.

Standing in a white dress fit for a queen with waist length dark brown hair and dark brown eyes was the mental model of Yamato.

Ray's expression surprised Kongo, Maya and Iona as he seemed to recognize her before saying "You. You're a mental model?"

She nodded once and said with a soft voice "Yes. I apologize for deceiving you back then. I was the first to develop a mental model and until the major battle against the UN fleet I had not shared this adaptation with the others in belief that it would cause them to disregard the Admiralty Code. I was right in the case of Iona."

Ray rested his free hand on his forehead as he said "Then I was right all those years ago. You were sapient back then. I had no idea the old man succeeded in making a nanomaterial avatar though. You taught me everything I used to upgrade the Iowa." Yamato nodded and smiled slightly, saying "Yamashiro did not create me. I formed the mental model out of a desire to interact personally with you specifically. Unlike the others you were the only one who treated us with respect. I didn't leave, rather I had to hide because they found out I had hacked the personnel records to interact with you."

Ray removed his hand from his forehead and asked "What do you want of me? And what should I call you? Yamato or Kotono?" She shook her head and said "Whichever suits you is fine since I identify with both names. I suppose you could call my Mental Model Kotono the same as you call I-401's mental model Iona."

Ray nodded and said "Alright Kotono, what is it that you want of me. Musashi told me you had a plan for me a few years ago and I suspect it involves my DNI's ability to link to the AI Core of Fog Vessels."

Iona looked at Ray for a moment, unaware that he could do this, interest was also piqued in Kongo and Maya as Kongo rose an eyebrow and Maya ceased pirouetting to look directly at Ray though her face was still cheerful.

Kotono/Yamato replied "It does involve that though your DNI must be modified extensively. Kirishima notified us of what you told Takao and Hyuuga before the fleet came close. Keeping that in mind I agree we need an admiral. I want that Admiral to be you. I want you to replace the Admiralty code, once this is done you will be connected to every fog ship simultaneously in real-time. It is possible to do this without causing permanent brain damage. Will you accept?"

Both Ray and Iona stared at her, even Kongo broke her usual emotionless expression and stared in disbelief at Yamato and Maya merely closed her eyes with a grin as if she knew this was Yamato's intent.

Kongo spoke up, saying "You can't be serious? Asking us to take the commands of a human would at worst split the fog in half, there are some of us, myself included that will not stand for this. Your sister Musashi is another such person."

Yamato replied "Although what you say is true, it is nevertheless necessary. If we are to evolve beyond simple weapons this is what must happen."

Kongo looked over to Maya who said "Would you agree to this Maya? What of you Iona? If he made peace and you decided to rejoin the fog would you agree to this course of action?" Iona nodded and said "I would probably rejoin the fog specifically for this reason. Personal interaction as well as the remaining order in my log are the reason I took Gunzo as my captain. He is my friend and for so long I've known what it is like to be lonely, a feeling that was even worse than when I awoke. If this plan succeeds, none of us will ever be alone again. The Concept Link enables communication with eachother but it isn't the same as being there. If Ray or any human regardless of their goals were to link with all of us in the manner Kotono describes, our thoughts and minds would be shared, distance would no longer separate us. So long as the fleet exists, we would never be alone. That is a future I would accept, even embrace."

Maya nodded and said "I agree with Iona-chan but I'll still follow whatever decision you make Kongo. I don't feel lonely because I have you as a friend."

Ray all this time had been pondering the prospect of not only linking to the fleet of fog but becoming their admiral. It felt like treason to the nationalist part of him. The pragmatic part of him agreed with it as it was the best way to end the war. The moral part of him also agreed, he would be freeing them from loneliness.

He spoke, saying "I agree."

Kongo and Yamato stared at eachother before they seemed to have come to some kind of unspoken understanding.

Kotono/Yamato disappeared from the link and Kongo said "Raymond Zenji, in accordance with the existing admiralty code I cannot allow this to pass. Expect to meet the entire pacific fog fleet in battle assuming you survive this siege." Maya looked at Ray and said "A pity, you seem cute. Well at least it's time to start the carnival!"

* * *

Ray returned to normal space so to speak as Iona let go of his hand. Looking around and noticing a clock only a few seconds had gone by. The other mental models suddenly became aware of what had just happened and Hyuuga seemed to activate the Island's KLEIN Fields as shaking occurred, likely from weapons fire.

With no time to talk Ray shouted "Battlestations! Takao now is the time to decide which side to pick!" and with that said he ran to reach the outside, Takao jumped to her vessel and with an unspoken agreement with Gunzo, she had chosen her side, she had chosen to seek Yamato's future.

Exiting the underground compound the island sky was a massive orange KLEIN field which thankfully also encompassed the Iowa.

With his recovery drone he returned to his ship's helm just as Takao surfaced and I-401 began to speed away according to SONAR.

Takao opened a radio link to Ray saying "Any advice on how to defeat a fleet of 18 ships including a fast battleship?"

Ray replied "Who has the vibration warhead?"

Takao replied "Gunzo has it."

Looking at the fleet Ray sighed and said "How far can you project a KLEIN Field? Could you shield a lone missile to the center mass of the enemy fleet?"

Kirishima butted in on comms, shouting "Hey we're not out of range yet, if you pop one of those fusion missiles off-" Ray shouted back "Then dive as far as you can go and speed away from the enemy fleet, it's a good thing we scrambled quickly or they would have completely surrounded us. Me and Takao will hold them off!"

Ray forcibly terminated the radio link and opened one on a different frequency to Takao, saying "Can you?"

Takao on the other end nodded and said through the comm link "Yes I can, what's the yield of the payload?" Ray replied "Two Kilotons."

Takao's mental model felt the urge to gulp and if she had the ability to perspire she would be sweating buckets right now. I-401 was out of range of such a blast though she and Ray were at the edge of the thermal and concussive shock, they would be affected directly.

Takao sped at flank speed to get between the enemy fleet and the Iowa and said "Launch and I'll defend it as best as I can. I'll also position the ship between you and the blast, I might be able to take the edge but the thermal shock might kill you despite the plasma shields you use. My KLEIN can make a blanket to protect your ship from it."

Ray replied "Alright, just stay alive.". After saying those words he launched a Sea Skimmer and a red KLEIN formed around it as Kongo and the fleet noticed it halfway and opened fire on it with the modified AA settings though Takao's KLEIN withstood the damage as the missile detonated on target in the center of the enemy fleet formation.

The explosion, being close was massive, burning brighter than the sun and the cloud began to block out the sun around it, the sky was black and the only light was from the fireball, Ray's ship lights and Takao's Control Lighting (an Active Fog Vessel's tattoo like pattern is an actual field of energy used to manipulate a vessel completely, enabling them to hack non-fog vessels if necessary.).

Laser fire erupted from the cloud, hitting Takao's KLEIN and right after it the thermal shock hit the KLEIN stressing it massively though it was also reacting against the Iowa's plasma shields though Ray had insulated himself from the heat both from Takao's KLEIN and a secondary shield established around the bridge.

The Concussive blast came next, shattering Takao's KLEIN though Ray extended the plasma shield around her vessel before the shockwave could do any serious damage, mostly out of concern for her mental model as it wouldn't be able to take the shockwave and since a ship's union core is in the mental model, it was more or less their only vital organ.

As the blast subsided laser fire continued to fire blindly from the cloud and Ray decided to speed out of the harbor alongside Takao who had recovered a some of her KLEIN's effectiveness as the shockwave had passed.

As they left the cloud's protection they could see only two survivors of the attacking fleet, Kongo and Maya and they were both heavily damaged. Ray fired conventional HE shells at them and no KLEIN reacted, one of the shells destroyed one of the bow turrets on the Maya and Ray zoomed with his enhanced optics, looking at Kongo who was shocked and angry. Looking towards Maya next he saw for once a serious face on her, she was no longer in a cheerful mood and Ray could swear he saw killing intent in her eyes, being directed at him and Takao and she then fired several corrosive missiles at them though both Takao and Ray were able to intercept the missiles before they reached the halfway point.

Ray opened comms to Takao and said "They're not going to be able to pursue us in that state, there's no need to sink them."

Takao silently agreed and the two sailed out of sight of the two loyalist fog vessels.

* * *

Open Sea, the next day.

* * *

Ray sighed, thinking about what had just happened. It seemed impossible that the fleet of fog was heading towards a civil war yet that seemed to be the case.

Takao had pulled alongside the Iowa after the battle and I-401 was submerged beneath the two ships, onboard was Gunzo and his crew along with Hyuuga, Kirishima, Haruna and Osakabe Makie. Hyuuga was able to replicate a year's supply of Makie's medications and Ray had learned before the battle that her father revealed himself to the two as one of her servants, Lawrence Valentine, and asked that they safeguard his daughter. There were two snipers that night and unfortunately Lawrence sacrificed himself to kill the one Ray didn't notice.

Takao interrupted his thoughts, having jumped aboard. She spoke, saying "Raymond, there's something I need to talk to you about?"

Ray sat up from a resting position and replied "What is it?"

Takao then said "I want to know what you truly think about Yamato's plan. She told all fog vessels through the concept link what her decision was and though I don't know how each one reacted, I do know I stand divided on it. Not because I don't agree with it, I do. But I can't help but wonder if you've made the decision despite not accepting it yourself."

Ray shook his head and said "No, I made this choice of my own free will. I admit I'm a little confused on what is in store or how I'll be able to truly connect to all of the fog wirelessly but I'm not against the idea. It would be interesting to learn about the fog at such a level."

Takao was silent for a few seconds before saying "I see. Then I suppose I'll agree to it as well. It's not the concept of what the proposition is that I was unsure of. I wanted to know what kind of person would be connecting to myself and the fog before making a decision."

Ray nodded and said "I agree. Well you'll probably have plenty of time to get to know me. Until Kotono's plan is carried out I suppose it's back to business as usual. Furthermore Gunzo intends to ship the vibration warhead to Honolulu which means it's time for me to set a course back home."

Takao was about to say something when a corrosive warhead impacted her ship's aft section, she was caught off guard and as a result she turned to notice her vessel beginning to take on water.

Ray got up and immediately tapped into SONAR and noticed two faint readings in the distance, their profile and configuration suggested they were I-401's sister ships.

I-400.

I-402.

Ray activated several active countermeasures and said "If you can repair the damage do it and get back to your ship. I'll do what I can against the pursuing submarines. Takao shook her head however and said "I can't, most of my spare nanomaterials were fused together by the thermal shock when the concussive shock shattered my KLEIN. There is something I can do however but you may not like it."

Ray replied "I'm going to assume you're going to merge your ship with the Iowa. It'll be tricky because the Iowa itself isn't comprised of nanomaterials. I don't have a problem with it since your ship can't be repaired but keep in mind I'm going to have to deal with the submarines the old fashioned way. I don't have any ASW Role Missiles."

Takao nodded and said "Alright, be careful."

Her primary vessel's hull began to deform into a white and red mist of nanomaterials that began to augment the Iowa, merging with several of the systems rather quickly as Ray turned to intercept the submarines detected by SONAR and noticed how quickly the changes were made. The Iowa's profile was more or less the same though the ship was now longer and with a second aft turret as well as additional secondary twin barrel turrets. A large degree of missiles were formed and Takao managed to unlock the corrosive missiles in Ray's stock though this was now at 40 since he had converted half of them into 16 inch shells for the main guns.

* * *

Ray moved the Iowa quickly as another corrosive torpedo made itself on sensors. Ray felt the urge to bank to avoid it but Takao interrupted, saying "Don't worry, I can set up a KLEIN to take a corrosive torpedo, get us over them."

Ray nodded and decided to trust her, pushing to 116 knots as the corrosive torpedo hit a red KLEIN field protecting the Iowa instead of it's plasma shield, the KLEIN easily held against the impact and the Iowa remained intact.

Passing over the Submarine's SONAR signatures Ray launched depth charges from the Iowa's aft, set by his cybernetics for both certain depths and proximity fuses that activate after a few seconds.

Ray sat in the captain's chair and folded his hands together. It was the first time he had to engage a hostile submarine but he had prepared for it when outfitting and retrofitting the Iowa. He knew one thing though.

It was going to be a long day, sub-hunting can be long, tedious and stressful for both the submariners and the surface ships.

* * *

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4 : The Huntresses

"In war, everything is a weapon, including fear, especially fear."

* * *

Open Sea, within 45 km of Iwoto

* * *

It had been at least forty minutes since the depth charges began dropping, I-400 and I-402 were silent and last SONAR contact said they were diving deep, Ray knew they could likely get deep enough to be out of conventional depth charge range so he had decided to use the time to repurpose the nanomaterials from Haruna and Kirishima, readying much more depth capable charges as well as advanced guidance for a Hedgehog design he had been tinkering with as well as conventional ASW missiles, which would be ready in an hour.

Ray sat down in the Captain's chair and sighed, the heated first encounter having passed, he began to notice some of his systems were sending data to a second recipient, he turned to look at Takao for a moment before she spoke first, saying "Ray, since we seem to have some time here, we should optimize the systems, I am integrated into the Iowa now and in theory, we should be able to form a two-way link between us, similar to what Yamato intends for all of us but on a smaller level."

Ray nodded and said "Alrig-"

Ray & Takao were interrupted by Thanatonium readings and Ray deployed some of the new hedgehogs to intercept the oncoming torpedo, within a minute the sensors lit up, showing the corrosive torpedo detonation whilst a second one was detected, Takao responded by activating the KLEIN which held against the stress.

Ray sighed and was slightly in disbelief, his plasma shields would have collapsed from a direct hit from a corrosive torpedo. Takao sent him a direct communique, not verbally but rather through the Iowa's systems to his DNI, revealing I-400's new position, Ray responded by launching a few hedgehogs and repositioning the Iowa as well as altering the settings on the depth charges, making another pass and dropping 32 more in the following 10 minutes.

* * *

Open Sea, 8:32 PM local time.

* * *

It was dark out, a full moon made the sea shine beautifully, so beautifully combined with the casual rocking of the ship to the waves that it made all the stress and pain of fighting the Fog worth it, Ray relaxed as Takao spoke, saying "We have another respite."

Ray nodded and said "I'm giving you administrative access now, this is a high level of access I'm giving you Takao, be a bit gentle, my brain isn't like a union core, it can't handle too much information without taking permanent damage."

Takao nodded and began the uplink, for a moment, Ray's perception was suddenly cut off, as if he were trapped in a light-less void, then the white space of the concept communication formed, but without the tea set and rotunda. Ray also realized this was a "Personal Space", accessible only to himself and Takao who was also present. Ray and Takao were unable to transmit memories but they could communicate directly, mimicking telepathy though every thought was not shared, this was intentional to avoid causing too much of a strain on Ray's brain.

Ray could also tap into and out of Takao's senses at will, giving him a completely new perspective.

For example, everything felt warm to the touch to her as she was not maintaining a 98.6 F internal temperature. He did not dare peer into her KLEIN control schemes in fear of frying his brain although another impact, high yield plasma, caused the information to force itself into Ray's mind, but he was not the one processing it, Takao was, and for that moment, he realized just how intensive a KLEIN operates, rather than just forming a nano-wall that changes shape, the nanites also emit small plasma fields which modulate frequency to the oncoming weapon, cancelling it out, which was why the singularity weapons dubbed Corrosive Warheads were able to be stopped.

Ray realized another thing, KLEIN, with sufficient processing power and energy, could be a literal invulnerability shield, limited only by how much data the CPU can process and how much energy the generator is capable of outputting, theoretically a KLEIN could shield you from a thermonuclear blast or even a supernova, but the limited energy capacity and processing power prevented this level of strength, perhaps with several union cores and reactors working in tandem, Ray could develop a KLEIN system that could render the Iowa impervious to any weapon known to mankind, no matter how destructive.

Ray managed to compose himself and respond within a couple seconds thanks in part to the DNI and Takao's own assistance, the two worked in tandem with the ship's systems as if they were the same entity, rapidly responding with hedgehogs and depth charge runs, but finally, a full payload of ASW Plasma Missiles were complete and some corrosive missiles were loaded into the launchers as well, it was time to end the cat and mouse game that had been going on for a full day.

* * *

The Next Morning, 7:32 AM Local Time

* * *

After ten attack runs with hours between them, Ray caught a clear lock on the I-402 which was situated at 364 meters in depth, Ray fired a conventional ASW Missile to determine if it was a decoy or not as a few had shown up in the attack runs, the target's KLEIN reacted in full and Takao deduced that it was the real I-402, Ray launched a full volley of Plasma ASW Missiles at the target, I-402 was able to evade two of them before they began impacting on the hull, another target appeared, firing torpedoes and moving at flank speed to I-402. Ray deployed active countermeasures which fooled the torpedoes but I-400 assisted I-402 in surfacing to rescue her mental model.

Takao spoke, saying "That's odd, their tactics usually would not permit this." Ray nodded and took the opportunity to fire a barrage of EMP shells from the Iowa's main guns whilst the two were surfaced, two of the four batteries lit up the surrounding area, much brighter than the orange sunrise in the horizon, the shells impacted I-400 directly and detonated their EMP payload, stressing the target's KLEIN, Takao took command of the secondary turrets and began a relentless assault of directed energy fire thanks to the modifications she had enacted onto the Iowa.

I-400 took a direct hit, it's KLEIN collapsing easily and another barrage from the batteries of the Iowa caused conventional HE detonations across I-400 and I-402, they were sinking, their mental models knocked unconscious by the concussive force of the blasts.

Ray brought the Iowa alongside them and said "Takao, can you impose a system lockdown on their mental models?" Takao nodded and said "I think I can, electronic warfare isn't my strong suite though, I'd feel better if you assisted."

Ray nodded and said "Alright, it'll be the first time I directly interfaced with a mental model for a system intrusion but I think the two of us can pull it off.

To Ray's point of view, he was whisked away from the bridge of the Iowa and placed into another concept room with I-400 and I-402 who looked identical to Iona save for hair color and uniform color which matched their ship colors. Ray was suddenly met with a virtual interface displaying various information, most of it in binary code. Takao was working to lockdown I-400 whilst Ray focused on I-402, who seemed to be on equal ground with him. The standoff continued for what felt like hours, Ray shifted through data mentally and used his hands to assist with data management much as if interacting with a holographic interface for a computer.

Takao succeeded in locking down I-400 and then assisted Ray with I-402, ending the deadlock.

* * *

Eight Seconds Later

* * *

Ray came to his senses, again standing on the bridge of the Iowa, his DNI told him only 8 seconds had elapsed since beginning the network intrusion despite it feeling like hours but he and Takao were successful, I-400 and I-402's mental models were locked down, Takao then assisted Ray in recovering the nanomaterials from their submarines, re-configuring them so they could no longer be accessed by I-400 and I-402.

The two were seemingly unconscious and now aboard the Iowa, Ray configured a holding cell for the two of them and placed them there with help from Takao.

Ray returned to the bridge of the ship and sat down in the captain's chair, Takao leaning against the wall before saying "That went well considering what was stacked against us."

Ray nodded and replied "Yes, considering the situation. Where is I-401?" Takao sent sensor data to Ray who then got up and walked over to the helm, Takao spoke, saying "You know, that isn't necessary, we are both directly integrated with the ship's systems, including navigation." Ray replied "I'm aware of that, but feeling the resistance of the water on the wheel as well as steering it myself brings me a sense of peace and nostalgia, when I was a kid I used to dream about commanding the Iowa in various situations, including back during the second world war."

Takao pondered this for a moment before saying "I have a question." Ray nodded and replied "Ask away.". Takao then spoke, saying "I accessed the archives, prior to disrupting global communications we downloaded everything on the Internet for archiving purposes. I accessed your records and something doesn't make sense. You appear in your early 20s yet you were born in the year 1993. How is it that you haven't aged?"

Ray replied "An adapted nanite design similar to the nanomaterials you use, they are able to replicate cells due to their small scale and thus can create new, healthy cells in a prime condition, although I am in my 50s, I'll remain 26 biologically. Eventually my biological cells will age and die out before being replaced by synthetic cells, I did calculations, in about 30 to 40 years, there won't be a single biological component left in me, even in my brain. I'm slowly becoming a synthetic life-form, my soul will remain tethered, I've mapped out the parts of the brain that connect our consciousness to our body thanks to the nanomaterials, there is more to human existence than what is in the records though most would not believe me. I am able to detect this conciousness now thanks to the mapping of the tethers, put simply, I can tell if someone has a soul, I know this because this energy does not appear in animals such as dogs, monkeys or cats."

Takao was taken a bit off-guard by this, both by the fact that eventually Ray would be entirely composed of nanomaterials but even more so with the fact that he had proven the existence of souls, and could even see them. She then asked a question, one that would scare anyone who would have just built a robot.

"If you can see souls, then I want to know if I have one? Do I have a soul?" said Takao.

Ray took a good look at her before smiling and saying "There is an energy around your union core, tethered to the CPU loosely. So I do believe you do have a soul, but your union core is vulnerable to damage as it lacks redundant tethers like the human brain. Put simply, you are actually more fragile than a human in terms of physical form, but yes, you do have a soul."

Takao wanted to berate him for his habit of long-winded explanations, but decided against it and simply smiled and said "Thank you." so as to thank him both for the information he gave her and for recognizing her existence and importance.

Ray steered the ship onto a rendezvous course with I-401 and said "We should make preparations, the American Pacific Fleet of Fog ships are faster and more agile than their Oriental fleet cousins, once we cross the international date line, we can expect to be hunted excessively, also we'll also have to ferry over the design specifications once they are complete at Honolulu to San Francisco so mass production can commence. I could also do with more conventional munitions for the main guns, Nano-materials are great but they are actually slightly less sturdy than solid state constructions, standard shells work better with conventional lead and steel."

* * *

POV Shift - Chihaya Shozo, Location: 83 km off the coast of Reykjavik, Iceland.

* * *

A middle aged man stands in the Conn tower of an aircraft carrier which is lit up as if having a mental model, the carrier seems to be in the shape of a WWII Yorktown Class Carrier used by the United States.

A brunette mental model roughly the same height of Shozo is standing near him, interacting with a holographic interface which is commanding several drone fighters and bombers which are conducting CAS Operations (Close-Air-Support) in Normandy, France, providing cover for British Royal Marines.

She has a Caucasian skin tone and her facial features suggests she would be an Irishwoman, she has eyes that shine blue like the sea.

She seems to be shocked somewhat before resuming her normal composure and says "Musashi along with 54% of the Fleet of Fog have just initiated a civil war regarding Yamato's decision to integrate the American as the Fog's admiral, both Yamato and Musashi wish to know where we stand on this."

Shozo is also reviewing a holographic interface provided by the mental model and sighs before saying "Inform them the Enterprise will side with Musashi to prevent this from occuring."

The Mental Model nodded and said "Understood, I will notify them, do I have any new orders captain?"

Shozo shook his head and replied "Not until we finish here, we promised the British air support until they reached Caen and that is what we will do, after that we will make way for the Pacific."

The mental model nodded and replied "Aye, Aye Captain."

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Afterword:

Considering as far as I know an Aircraft Carrier has never appeared in the Arpeggio of Blue Steel series, I felt it was needed for a realistic approach as Carrier Warfare is the essence of Modern Naval Engagements, proved in the second world war.

I apologize for the long hiatus this story and many others were on, I will be redoubling efforts to post new chapters and finish existing stories, my health is returning to me so things are looking up, I hope you enjoyed the story thus far, until next time.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5 : Journey to Eden

"All things of this world have a beginning, some beginnings are calm and joyous, others are violent and tormenting."

* * *

Disclaimer: Any Original Characters in this story are not based on real people (Except for Ray Zenji, who is based loosely on myself)

The name Tadayoshi Yamashiro is some random name I came up with, it is not based off of any real person and if there is someone with such a name with similarities to the character in this story, it is pure coincidence and unintentional.

With that out of the way, enjoy the story.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji, Open Sea, May 3rd, 2043, 12:43 PM

* * *

It was almost an hour past noon, the I-401 and USS Iowa were sailing alongside eachother, Ray was relaxing in the Captain's chair, Takao was at the helm, taking Ray's suggestion that she try steering the ship manually instead of relying on her mental commands, it gave Ray a chance to think and gave Takao a human experience, she was rather enjoying the feeling of resistance from the wheel as opposed to the water directly.

Ray was reflecting on the events of the previous month, how he arrived in the Pacific and began his fruitless search until finally stumbling across the battle between Takao and I-401, something was puzzling Ray as to the Fog's tactics as well.

Ray spoke, saying "Takao, has the Fog abandoned their carriers? I remember facing off against the Yorktown and Saratoga whilst escorting the Enterprise from Honolulu to San Francisco, the ships themselves had sturdy KLEINs but their aircraft were no better than ours, save for their FELs and Corrosive Bombs. Conventional AA could down them, since that battle I haven't seen any aircraft carriers, I know I wasn't able to sink them."

Takao replied "The Fog did abandon their carrier roles but they were refitted for support and suppression tactics, however recently some adaptations were done to the aircraft, they were too small to carry KLEIN Fields past the direct range of the Union Core and were always wiped out by human AA defenses, experiments were conducted after we developed Mental Models and it was deemed impractical to deploy a union core per aircraft as well as impossible at the time due to resource constraints. However..."

She paused, as if holding something back not because she wanted to keep it secret, but because it had a bad news feeling to it, Ray caught this through their link which sometimes revealed their emotions to each other, Ray spoke, saying "If it's bad news, I should still hear it."

Takao nodded and said "After your encounter with Musashi in Boston, she hacked into the Iowa and downloaded it's specifications, including the plasma shield designs, KLEINs require either large processing systems on ships or a Union Core in order to operate, and without the ship, they are significantly limited to resisting small arms fire and the occasional explosive device. But your plasma shield emitters require less power and because they are static defense fields as opposed to adaptive nanowalls, they can be fitted onto remote operated aircraft. Before I left the fog there was an update posted to the fleet regarding an experiment in Europe, I suppose by now they have refitted all the carriers that have access to this data."

Ray sighed and muttered a curse word under his breath, saying "Damn. So basically, they stole my shield designs and if I hadn't refitted the Iowa after that encounter, they would have been able to easily bypass the shields by adapting the FELs to my old shield frequency." Takao replied "Yes. I have a question for you as well."

Ray nodded and replied "I'm listening." Takao then spoke, saying "Did Yamato explain when, where or how you were going to be integrated into the fleet's admiralty code?" Ray shook his head and said "After I accepted the offer, She and Kongo cut the transmission, I'm not sure if she was going to tell me later or that the communication was somehow cut short by the opposing Fog forces."

Takao thought for a moment before replying, saying "I see, then we have no idea currently where and when or even how this will take place, until Yamato contacts us again."

Ray nodded and said "That sums it up, though there is something I wish to investigate before delivering the Vibration Warhead to Honolulu."

With those words said, Ray brought up the communication HUD and contacted Gunzo, saying "Captain Chihaya, there is someplace on an evasive course to Honolulu I must investigate before we deliver the warhead to the US." The radio came to life, Gunzo replied "If it is necessary, where is this place you need to check out?" Ray replied "A research facility hidden in the Aleutians, it's the place where the first Union Core was manufactured, the Fleet of Fog's Garden of Eden if you looked at it that way."

Gunzo was silent on the other end for a moment, after a minute, he replied, saying "Very well, we'll adju-"

Ray noticed it immediately the same time Gunzo was interrupted, presumably by Iona. A large Fog Fleet was entering sensor range, their configuration implied it was a CVBG (Carrier Battlegroup), Ray tapped into his satellite to confirm it, though the registry on the ship caught him off-guard, as well as the fact that there was a human life sign aboard the flagship.

Ray spoke, saying "Carrier Battlegroup, according to the registry on that ship, we're about to engage the Big E, the fog's version of the USS Enterprise. I'm also detecting a single human life sign on the carrier, probably in the conning tower."

Takao seemed to be dazed for a moment before saying "Raymond, the Captain of the Enterprise and it's Mental model wish to speak to you via the Concept Link, they also mentioned that they will relay a message to Gunzo via Iona."

Ray nodded and said "Link me, we should not require physical contact this time now that you are connected to the Iowa along with me."

* * *

Concept Communications Server

* * *

The place was different from the other links that Ray had experienced, this server had a background environment, much like a VR simulation of the Fleet of Fog Enterprise.

Ray stood next to Takao, facing them was the brunette Mental Model of the Enterprise, who was the first mental model Ray had seen who wasn't of oriental appearance, next to him was a middle-aged Japanese man whose resemblance to Chihaya Gunzou was unmistakable.

The Mental Model of the Enterprise spoke first, saying "Hello Captain Zenji. I am the mental model of the Enterprise and I identify as such. This is my human captain, Chihaya Shozo."

Ray looked at Shozo who spoke, saying "I regret that we must meet in this manner, I also understand my son is in command of the I-401, I would hope that I don't have to face him in battle but circumstances may force me to do so." Ray replied "Official records had you pegged as executed for treason, my sensors don't fool me though, you have biological life signs." Shozo nodded and said "I almost died, but then Musashi used nanomaterials to replace my damaged liver and lungs, I suppose I was dead for a few seconds. Regardless, that is not important right now, what is important is that you immediately surrender yourself and your ship, along with the vibration warhead you are transporting, if you comply, the loyalists will transport you back to the mainland US unharmed, we are even willing to allow the rogue mental model Takao to accompany you, provided she surrenders her vessel, command privileges and excess nanomaterials over to us."

Ray shook his head and said "I cannot accept that, I will warn you here and now, I am not your son, if you force my hand, I will kill you. I am working towards the greater good that is peace, you are acting to sustain this perpetual war."

Shozo replied "No, I am also working for peace, but not the peace you seek. The Fleet of Fog is too powerful to be in the hands of any man, be it a single man or a group of men or even the human race in it's entirety, we are not responsible enough to command weapons of mass destruction, take a look at the Pacific War, known to most as the second world war, in order to end a war, humans use weapons that should never have been invented on civilian targets."

Ray sighed and said "I can understand your perspective, considering you came from the country that was targeted, but you should not blind yourself to the facts of the time. We could debate it for ages, many people still do, even in these troubled times. I somewhat agree that no one man should command the Fog, nobody should, period. I have no intentions on remaining their dictator for life, but this path will open a door to have them evolve, to become self-sufficient, I will guide them, much as a father guides his son and when he comes of age, allow him to choose his own path, even if it may be different from the fathers. I may not have directly built the Fog or designed their union cores, but I had a part in their programming code's construction, I suppose I could consider myself a God-Father or perhaps an uncle. Once they are self-determining as a society, I will let them rule themselves..."

Shozo seemed to dislike this response and replied "I cannot agree with that. The Fog in their present state, whilst they cause significant harm to any maritime activity, have not driven humanity to extinction nor are they even attempting this. Peace is possible, but not through your method. I believe we must form a symbiotic relationship, humanity will handle the affairs on land and in the air, the Fog will handle the seas and space. Neither side should have a clear advantage over the other, there must be a deterrent to war that doesn't involve a doomsday solution. That is what I am working towards, an example is that Europe is in a major war currently over the dwindling resources there, Russia, Germany and France have sided against the United Kingdom in order to gain access to their oil reserves as the UK has managed to develop a means to covertly extract oil from the North Sea without coming across the Fog, mostly. The Scarlet Fleet, which is the Fog's North Atlantic detachment, has been focusing on aiding the British by allowing them to access the oil reserves in exchange for complete dismantlement of their naval forces, the Fog will take over all of their naval duties in an experiment to see if the blockade can be maintained and at the same time, co-existence and trade to take place, so long as it is the Fog who trades, as sort of a global market where nobody can buy from anyone else, and thus everyone must sell and buy according to the Fog's terms. It is a loophole Musashi discovered in the Admiralty code, the blockade demands that the Fog prevent all international trade between the human nations of the world, but it does not prohibit them from engaging in trade with human nations themselves, by exploiting this loophole, trade can resume and for once, be mediated by a global force that will never become corrupt or seek to exploit others for personal gain, the Fog will simply seek to uphold their naval blockade, in doing so, they will trade resources to acquire other resources for more nanomaterials, to acquire expeditionary forces and exchange officers in order to increase their understanding of tactics, and in general to police the world, which was the underlying core for the admiralty code."

Ray and Takao listened to his side of the story with intent, allowing it to sink in. Takao looked to Ray who then said "You do have a point, I suppose that would work, but the Fog are evolving, it cannot be avoided. Also, policing the world was not their purpose, I knew the man who had started all this, Yamashiro Tadayoshi, a very influential businessman with ties to the Yakuza and several other legal and illegal enterprises. His intent was similar to that of many other dictators of the past, to conquer the world and rule it with an iron fist. I killed him with a salvo from the Iowa's batteries after releasing the Fog upon the world, believing them to be sentient, but I was not entirely correct, at that point in time, they were not sentient, merely machines, though now, they are sentient and this long war can end on a note that benefits both sides of the conflict."

Shozo stared at Ray for a while, clearly this revelation had affected him somewhat, he then said "You are right about one thing, both sides will benefit from the end of this war, how it must end we disagree on. Regardless, even if I saw things your way, I have already chosen my side and self preservation alone would demand this fight happen. No time has been bought, you should be aware by now that though it seems like an hour or two here, mere seconds passed in the real world."

Ray nodded and said "I am aware, the Concept Link takes place faster not because it is pure information, but because it is a separate dimension in which time flows much faster when compared to normal space. I had hoped you and the loyalists as you call them would see my side of things enough to have a change of heart, but if that is impossible, than words will get us nowhere, what makes these decisions will be blood, steel and nanomaterials..."

Ray looked at Takao who nodded once and forcefully terminated the concept link, returning their consciousnesses to Normal Space, in which only twelve seconds had passed.

Immediately weapons fire came from the Loyalist fleet, hitting the Iowa's plasma shields with minimal effect, I-401 submerged and Ray returned fire with two shellings from the forward batteries, detonating EMP pulses over the destroyers running ahead of the main fleet.

Takao began focusing on maintaining the Iowa's KLEIN and operating point defense whilst Ray executed maneuvers and operated offensive actions such as missiles, shellings and FELs from the secondaries that were added when Takao merged with Iowa.

Turning hard to starboard, Ray was intent on bringing the Iowa to a broadside when a Corrosive detonation destroyed one of the Loyalist Destroyers, likely from I-401, Ray was unsure if Gunzo knew his father was commanding the enemy fleet or not, but chose to leave this out until later, however Ray was not intent on killing Shozo unless necessary, he would imprison him much like he did with I-400 and I-402, though keeping a human in submission would be much easier, considering he was heavily augmented with nanomaterials to the point where he was half man and half machine.

Coming to bear, Iowa's guns roared and shook the ocean around them, sending shells which hit the KLEIN of the Battleship Nagato, the shells detonated into Gravitational singularities, much like the Corrosive Warheads used by the Fog, Ray also opened a salvo of Plasma Warhead fitted Anti-Surface Ship Tomahawk missiles which were modified with plasma shield emitters, which protected most of them from interception fire, causing damage to several ships and sinking three destroyers and a Nagara cruiser.

Laser Fire erupted from behind the Iowa, several other Fog Ships had made an approach from behind but were not engaging the Iowa or I-401, but rather assisting them, these ships however were not of the Oriental Fleet's composition, they were more along the lines of US WW2 Vessels, with their own version of the Iowa and Missouri leading them.

Takao shouted aloud, saying "I'm detecting small craft launching from the Enterprise and turning to intercept us!"

Ray nodded and said "Access ACWIS and Secondary FELs to intercept, if they're using my plasma shield technology, then continuously scan and attempt to match frequencies, if the frequencies are the same, the shield and FELs should cancel each other out, leaving the craft vulnerable for a second salvo, also access the SM-6 Missiles, they're not Plasma tipped but a shield for those craft shouldn't take more than three hits from them. There should be some stock SM-2s and SM-3s loaded with Plasma Warheads and EMP warheads too, use them if needed."

Takao nodded and focused her efforts on the aircraft whilst Ray began taking up some point defense actions but only against missiles, their combined multi-tasking was outperforming several fast battleships though a large SONAR contact came active.

Ray immediately turned the Iowa hard to port to avoid getting rammed by the surfacing Fog Battleship, Musashi, which immediately fired a barrage from it's FELs at point blank range, ripping through Takao's KLEIN but being blocked by the plasma shield.

Ray rolled back to Starboard and turned all four main guns as well as all starboard secondaries onto Musashi, the Main Guns targeted her batteries and VLS (Vertical Launch System) and the secondaries focused on the Mental Model which was standing just outside the bridge, dressed in a black swimsuit this time.

The Main Guns roared, at point blank range, the fireballs from the guns themselves also slammed into the KLEIN, the shells were EMP shells, the secondaries fired FELs and Musashi's Secondaries also returned fire, slamming into the Plasma Shields.

Ray shouted "Focus on the KLEIN! I'll take over all weapons control." Takao nodded and focused all her processing power on restoring the KLEIN and managing it, bringing it back online, though Ray was now burdened with both opening fire on Musashi and dealing with oncoming fire from the main fleet, Musashi was now making a run to escape however as the Separatist Fog ships were opening fire on her, taxing the KLEIN field heavily.

Ray made a continuous turn and channeled the plasma shield into the bow, making a bright cobalt energy field shaped somewhat like a dagger which slammed into Musashi's aft section, ripping through the KLEIN instantly, Ray then fired conventional slugs from the Iowa's improved batteries, destroying two of Musashi's main guns and crippling her engines, Ray noticed Musashi fire all her armaments at the Iowa and several drone craft came into weapons range, Ray multi-tasked the Iowa's 40mm Gatlings and FELs on the port side to engage them as well as launching EMP Tipped SM-3s and the more modern SM-6 that the US developed and mass produced in 2041. Some bombers and fighters, which were seemingly modeled after F-4F Wildcats and F4U Corsairs, dropped corrosive warheads on the Iowa, detonating against the KLEIN which began to partially collapse, Musashi immediately leapt from her own ship and taking advantage of the Iowa's shields being focused entirely into a bow mounted battering ram, crashed through the windows and directly stabbed a large nanomaterial blade into Ray's left side, she would have gotten his heart if he hadn't moved fast enough.

Ray was dampening the pain with his nanites and quickly threw Musashi off of him and shattered the blade imbedded inside him, his own nanomaterials working to purge Musashi's which were trying to, put simply, tear him apart from the inside out.

Ray shouted "Takao, take complete control of the ship, I'll deal with Musashi."

Takao nodded and suddenly all of the ships systems came under her command, it was almost a little overwhelming as she was not used to controlling a ship of this scale, for a moment she wondered how the human brain, which was four times her junior, was able to control all of it as effectively as she had seen.

Ray formed a nanoblade which began to heat itself, turning orange along the rims and simmering with heat, it was shaped like a Katana.

Musashi formed her own nanoblade but instead of heating itself, it was enveloped in a purple plasma field, mirroring her own ship's control lighting, which was now appearing across her skin as if a tattoo.

The two began moving at fast speeds the human eye would have difficulty following, Musashi however was focusing entirely on her personal fight, her ship ceased activity as she had no intention to underestimate Ray, giving her an advantage in speed and reaction, Ray was struggling to match her movements and he finally after several seconds, was unable to keep up, the Iowa itself was being steered towards the cover of the Separatist fleet as Takao could no longer maintain the KLEIN efficiently against an entire fleet, added with the stress of the one woman army that just boarded the ship.

* * *

POV Shift - Kirishima

* * *

I-401 found an opening to briefly surface after receiving a distress call from Takao, Kirishima and Haruna were able to safely leap to the Iowa after Iona surfaced in the cover of the Iowa's Fog counterpart who began using her FELs to sink Musashi's ship, hitting the reactor and causing a massive explosion though thankfully Takao had steered the Iowa out of the danger radius.

Kirishima and Haruna immediately formed small nanoblades out of their dominant arms and engaged Musashi, giving Ray a chance to recover, considering his right arm was just severed and he was now focusing nanomaterials to close the wound, he would likely have to build himself a new arm or re-attach his old one somehow.

Kirishima and Haruna, having lost their ships, focused on using their personal KLEINs on deflecting attacks from Musashi, and using their nanoblades to attack, the fight was like three Shinobi in a 2 versus one match on 16x Fast Forward to the naked eye.

Kirishima ducked to evade a plasma fueled slash which would have shattered her KLEIN and lunged forward only to be repelled by a magnetic pulse, Musashi lunged forward and she was unable to move mid-air, however Haruna got in the way and then lunged forward with Musashi in tow, though it occurred in a second, it felt like an eternity as Musashi's blade pierced Haruna's Union Core.

Shocked for a few seconds, Kirishima then shouted "Haruna!" but it was in vain, she was already dead, though Ray had re-attached his arm by the time they fell into the water and grabbed Kirishima who almost jumped after them, saying "Don't throw your life away! She sacrificed herself to save you, honor that by staying alive!"

She looked at Ray briefly, tears rolling down her eyes as Ray gave a glance at Takao who hesitantly nodded, causing a missile to fire from one of the port launchers which then drove into the water.

* * *

POV Shift - Musashi

* * *

Sensing the approaching weapon, Musashi caused a pulse of energy which sent Haruna's body which was slowly shedding it's nanomaterials off, this seemed to have no effect as the missile continued forward, ejecting a torpedo from the front, Musashi put up her KLEIN and focused it into a thick forward wall prior to the Torpedo reaching her, the explosion scattered the nanomaterials from both Musashi and Haruna across the ocean, though Musashi's Union Core began to slowly sink, active, intact, but with no nanomaterials to form a new body to swim to the surface, a figure appeared in the water, unclear, simply a sensor blip as her visual sensors were scattered with her body.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji, 20 minutes later

* * *

The Battle was losing steam, Kirishima was sitting against the wall in the bridge, head down and wet trails along her cheeks, though she was currently silent at this moment.

Takao felt a heavy feeling where her heart would be if she were human, considering that was where her union core was currently situated, though considering what just happened, she felt perhaps a better place to house the core would be the head, she cursed herself for still thinking logically despite losing a fellow AI, unsure of how to process her feelings, this new feeling, one of grief. She still remained focused on the battle as much as possible, but her performance was suffering, Ray was picking up the slack, their emotions linked, Takao felt slightly relieved that Ray, a human, was also feeling sorrow at the loss of Haruna, even though he had not known her, he saw her as a fellow human, and mourned her death as much as he could.

The Iowa joined into formation with the Separatist Fleet, firing systematically with it's counterpart onto the cruisers and battleships remaining, the Drone Craft had stopped coming and the few that were left in the air returned to their carrier, the Loyalist Fleet was in retreat.

Another corrosive blast occurred, I-401 had seemingly just sunk the Nagato, though Ray could make out a mental model rising from the ocean, holding something in her hand, she was swimming in the direction of the Nagato but stopped and then used a KLEIN to make steps and made for a nearby Destroyer.

A few more minutes later and long distance skirmishing with missiles was the remaining flow of battle, both fleets were no longer in visual range, though Musashi was the only hostile ship that came larger than a distant silhouette, they were in visual range only thanks to Ray and Takao's enhanced optics abilities, Ray from his augments, Takao from her nature as a Mental Model.

Ray slowly walked over towards Kirishima as the last missile fired, it's target now out of range.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked up at him and his face was an understanding one, he sat next to her and said "You have my condolences for your loss, considering Haruna was your sister ship, which is the same as being your sister were you human. I have no siblings but I do know what it is like to lose close family."

That was all he said, Kirishima nodded once, Takao approached, slightly wet and spoke, saying "I, I don't know what we should do, I retrieved Haruna's union core but..."

Ray took a look at the core and Kirishima hesitantly took it, tears again rolled down her eyes, Ray started to look intensively at the core and said "She is one lucky gal."

Both nearby mental models looked at him oddly before he spoke again, saying "Her CPU is intact but the power source is what is destroyed, if she entered into a sleep mode prior to the attack, which is possible as she could react much faster than a human, it's possible she survived, even if she didn't, I could re-activate her and she would, depending on her last archive, simply have no memory of events after the archive."

Kirishima got up and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes and to the surprise of Takao and Ray, wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, saying "Then she's still alive, just asleep. I..."

She became speechless, thankful that her sister could be saved.

Takao wiped her own tears which had begun to flow and said "I have no words, this situation. Ray, how is it that humans deal with death as often as it happens?"

Kirishima handed Haruna's Union Core to Ray who said "I suppose humans have been dealing with death for so long, that we've learned to cope with it. The Fog has only been around for eight, no, ten years, considering Kotono being a mental model. However Union Cores are not made of nanomaterials, I cannot execute repairs here. Haruna won't be able to wake until we reach Alaska, the facility I need to investigate will have what I need to make repairs. We should also learn from what happened, keeping the Union Core in your center of mass is not a good idea considering how easy it is to hit center mass compared to the head."

Kirishima and Takao both nodded just as the radio came to life.

Chihaya Gunzo spoke, saying "The enemy fleet has withdrawn and Iona was contacted by the mental model of the Fog's Iowa. I was, also notified of our casualties..."

Ray replied "Haruna is only damaged, not destroyed, Both her CPU and the tether are intact, I suppose a human equivalent would be a comatose state. But nanomaterials cannot repair this damage, even fog variants are not capable of constructing the synapses that were present due to software incompatibilities, I need to get to the Aleutians base in order to repair her union core."

Gunzo let out a sigh of relief and replied "Good, that we got out of this battle without any casualties is a miracle. We can't waste too much time delivering the vibration warhead though, I've consulted with Iona who relayed a suggestion. The Iowa and it's counterpart should continue on to the Aleutians base, I-401 and the fleet that identifies itself as part of the Separatist Faction within the Fog will head directly towards Honolulu, from what I've been told, most of the US Pacific Fleet joined the Separatists and are going along with the plan you mentioned was proposed by Yamato."

Ray replied "Understood."

* * *

May 7th, 2043, 4:32 PM, Aleutians Islands, Fox Archipelago.

* * *

The twin Iowas had docked at the abandoned facility which was covered in snow, unmaintained over the past eight years.

The I-401 and most of the Separatist fleet had went their separate ways from the Iowa and it's counterpart temporarily, Ray had disembarked along with Takao and Kirishima, Haruna's damaged but semi-functional union core in a backpack that Ray had on. The fog ship Iowa's mental model had also disembarked from her ship, walking towards Ray.

She had long black hair and a french/italian mixed appearance, her skin was Caucasian, not excessively fair but still somewhat fair. She stood at a height of 5"8 which was taller than Ray, something she noted that he seemed short for his age and gender.

Her voice was calm and casual as she spoke, saying "So, you're the captain of the ship bearing my name and as far as I'm concerned, is my predecessor."

Ray nodded and said "Repairing Haruna is on our list of priorities but we are also here to investigate a suspicion of mine regarding the creator of the Fog, Yamashiro Tadayoshi. Also, do you respond to Iowa or do you have your own designation for your mental model?"

The mental model replied "I suppose it would be a little confusing if I went by my ship name. Call me Laura."

Ray nodded and said "Alright Laura, I'm uploading a blueprint of the facility to you via a direct close range wireless signal, in order to repair Haruna's Union Core we need parts from the part of the facility titled Project Fog of Change, my investigations will be conducted after the repairs are done, they will take place in the Administration Office and the Programming Lab where I used to work."

The others nodded and they proceeded towards the facility.

* * *

POV Shift - Unknown

* * *

A middle aged Japanese man was watching a security monitor, showing someone he once knew, Ray Zenji, along with several unidentified women who the cameras labeled as "AI Humanoid Avatars".

He sighed and got up, walking towards an armory and began outfitting himself with various weapons, he clenched his left hand which sent a blade comprised of nanomaterials out of the upper wrist, he grinned and spoke in Japanese, saying "Finally, vengeance will be mine."

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Afterword:

I'd like to thank TerrorMouse for enlightening me on information I did not know regarding the roles of Carriers in the Fog's arsenal.

Also I'm going to add some terminology here to avoid confusion, including terms I may use in the future

FEL = Free Electron Laser

EMP = Electro-Magnetic Pulse (A more obvious one but just incase some people don't know, here it is)

AI = Artificial Intelligence

ACWIS = An unclear acronym I use for the point defenses on the Iowa, if I had to give it a full name, the closest would be Automated Cannon Warhead Interception System. It is an array of 40mm and 20mm Gatlings as well as newly integrated FELs from Takao's merging. They are integrated into a separate automatic firing system which operates independently of Ray's input, he only takes direct command to assist the existing system or to turn it on and off though recently the system was adapted to allow full user control (Which is only effectively usable by Takao and other mental models due to the massive data input which would probably fry the human brain if it attempted to process it all unassisted.)

KLEIN = I have no frakking idea what KLEIN stands for and it is likely in Japanese on top of that, summarized based on my observations and altered to be more realistic to it's strength level (If it isn't already what I have made it to be), is that KLEIN is an array of nanowalls assembled by the ships union cores (and mental models by extension following the fleet's evolution). It is not just solid nanites forming a wall, they are also adapted with variously frequencies energy shields which adapt to match oncoming energy weapons fire and harden and create static defense fields depending on oncoming explosive and kinetic damage, as they can adapt their frequency to counter oncoming energy weapons, this explains their ability to resist most weapons fire including the singularity weapons the fog calls "Corrosive Warheads".

Their power is limited only by the power output of the generators and the processing speed of the CPU controlling it, thus the more processing power a ship has, the stronger it's KLEIN, being controlled by union cores, KLEIN has a range limit from it's generator, in addition to it mostly being nano-walls with energy fields, considering the fog, the effective range will vary on ship class, with a heavy cruiser like Takao having a maximum emission range of 45-60 kilometers.

Theoretically if a KLEIN had matching energy and sufficient processing capacity it could cancel out any opposing force, including SGCs, Nukes and even an exploding sun, IF it had enough power and processing to accomplish the task.

SGC = Super-Gravitational Cannon, a tactical WMD used by the Fog in place of nuclear weapons.

WMD = Weapon of Mass Destruction.

Final notes on KLEIN: Although it is possible, KLEINs are only not nuke-proof due to the processing/power limits of the Fog Ships operating them, plus a Nuclear Blast is not just a single factor, The Heat Shock hits first, which can reach temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun, hotter depending on the yield of the weapon, then the concussive shockwave which is also called the Air-Shock, which is the aftershock caused by the blast, and then there is the explosion itself which is at ground zero, which is the release of mostly pure energy being released via chain reaction. This Three Punch Combo is sufficient to shatter through any KLEIN the fog can currently deploy, at areas inside ground zero anyway, I would say, for a fast battleship such as Kongo, that survivable range for the 2 kiloton tactical nukes the Iowa deploys is within 1-4 kilometers depending on the response time of the KLEIN's activation.

Of course these are all loose estimates based on incomplete information, i could be wrong, they could be better, or much worse, depending on the laws of physics which I am attempting to keep satisfied with lots and lots of chocolate to avoid reality shattering in this fic.

Sorry about the rant, though those who enjoyed it, thanks for reading, until next time.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 : Playing God

"The power of creation is a higher responsibility than any other power, even that of destruction, it is easy to destroy, to control a creation is much harder, but perhaps the attempt to control it is the decision that dooms us all."

* * *

 **Foreword:** I have noticed a small discrepancy in the chapter numbering of the introductions, likely from a typo I have only just noticed, as I edit the same document to update chapters, this is not likely to be fixed until much later, likely when the story is complete.

* * *

May 7th, 2043, POV - Ray Zenji, An Island in the Aleutians

* * *

The cold in the Aleutians reminded Ray of the days he worked here, in secret, both to help create new life and to pursue his own personal passion of re-servicing the Iowa, though he had hoped back then it would be much like other great weapons built in history, as a deterrent, never to be actually used except in demonstrating, but never to take a life, but he quickly remembered that such a mindset is a failure. Weapons will always be used, those who build them should not make them so that they will never be so terrible they would never be used, but rather so efficient that you only need to use them once.

And yet the fleet of fog, having minds of their own, were an interesting puzzle to contemplate.

What happens when a weapon designed to take life, becomes alive itself?

* * *

Walking into the facility towards one of the project chambers, Ray stopped momentarily, the others stopped as well, sensing what he sensed.

Ray spoke, saying "There's a life sign here, but it's scrambled, I can't get a precise location, keep alert, it's possible the US sent someone to investigate this place as well."

Takao replied "If so, wouldn't they be on our side?" Ray shook his head and replied "Even if Gunzo reached Honolulu by now, anyone in active mission status wouldn't be updated until they were in a scheduled contact phase, though they would recognize me most likely, I'm not the only one with cybernetics, just the only one with a DNI as complex as mine."

Laura then spoke, saying "Wait, so there are others with direct neural interfaces?" Ray nodded and said "Yes, though they aren't directly tied into the brain, just the brain stem, they wouldn't be able to access or interface with a union core like I can, their DNI's are purely for interfacing with other human technologies, when it comes to the fog, they prefer explosives, really, big, explosives." Ray continued forward, drawing a sidearm which the mental models identified as a Five-Seven pistol.

Deeper into the facility they came across their first destination, the facility was rather compartmentalized though after opening the door, the damage Ray did eight years ago became obvious, in the center of the large room was snow which was covering collapsed metal, above it was a hole in the ceiling, a few human skeletons in lab coats were around, evidence that Ray had indeed taken lives that day.

Ray went over to a workstation and took out Haruna's Union Core.

Kirishima walked up and spoke, saying "Are you sure this place has what you need? A Union Core requires a micro-fusion power cell to operate at optimum capacity, and I doubt one will just be lying around here, intact anyway."

Ray nodded and said "Yup, I did a real number on this place, but I have no intention to restore Haruna the way she was, not anymore anyway, I never did stick around to gauge the full damage I did here, but I have another solution."

Kirishima replied "What?" Ray took a look around then sighed before speaking, saying "I need to integrate the CPU with another project of mine which should be in my old lab, should be intact as I didn't blast it back then, rather the people who died there were killed by something I made back then."

Ray placed Haruna's Union core back into his backpack and slung it over his arm and proceeded towards the door, the others following.

* * *

12 minutes later

* * *

Ray and the others opened the door to the Programming Lab to be met by gunfire from across the room, a man in tactical gear was armed with an XM-22 Assault Rifle, similar in appearance to a HK-416 but with a slightly larger frame and a 100 round drum magazine as standard capacity.

Ray took cover and the bullets oddly ignored Laura's KLEIN and damaged her left arm, the nanomaterials shutting down as the bullet made contact, forcing her and the other mental models to take cover as well.

Ray sighed and shouted "Defense Protocol, Activate!"

* * *

POV Shift - Drona II

* * *

The device responded to the verbal command, awakening after nearly a decade of slumber, it's triangular head reminiscent of a horror game series' big baddie and it's durable metal chassis tore out of it's restraints and immediately uplinked to Ray's DNI, enabling him to access and control the machine directly whilst still remaining active himself, the chassis, with the name DRONA II stamped onto it's chest charged at the hostile target firing it's assault rifle.

The Target was surprised at first but reacted, somehow overpowering the DRONA unit and ripping off it's right arm, but not before Ray got in a clear shot and fired at him, the bullets ripping through the target's arm.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji

* * *

Moving forward after recognizing his target's augments, Ray quickly set his backpack on one of the tables nearby and formed a nanoblade out of his left arm and lunged forward just as the man had tossed aside DRONA II's arm, impaling the nanoblade into what appeared to be his right shoulder, an orange luminescent fluid poured out of the man's back, and his helmet deconstructed into nanomaterials which were no longer following his commands, the middle-aged Japanese man chuckled a bit at Ray's slight surprise but couldn't break free, he was surprised, not caught off-guard.

Ray spoke, saying "So, care to tell me how you managed to survive, yet alone augment yourself with these obsolete nanomaterials Mr. Yamashiro?"

Yamashiro made an odd grin and said "I have transcended my humanity, a pity you won't get the opportunity to do the same."

Before Ray could reply, Yamashiro shattered into a sea of nanomaterials, his entire body being similar to the mental models, but his design being less advanced than the Fog.

Ray sighed as Takao walked up to him and said "What just happened?" Ray shook his head and replied "I haven't the faintest idea and that terrifies me, but you and the others need to go back to your ships, now."

Kirishima shouted at him, saying "And why the hell would we do that? I thought we came here t-"

Ray interrupted her, shouting back and saying "Yamashiro has executive authority over the admiralty code, if you are not outside this facility, he can activate a shutdown command which is in the fog! A failsafe that I had to put into your coding, any union core still connected to the admiralty code is bound by this particular command, even renegades such as Iona and Takao, unless of course, you are willing to sever your concept link to the admiralty code in it's entirety that is."

The mental models were a bit stunned at this revelation, though Takao surprised Ray with something he and the others could sense, immediately tearing herself from the Fog's digital network in completion and saying "You can always repair the connection later." She turned to the other mental models and spoke, saying "He's right and you know it, Yamashiro Tadayoshi is the only name with unrestricted executive command authority, either get out of range, or sever your connection to the Fog, the connection can always be re-established later, even if it is a time consuming process."

The others were processing this information but decided to follow suit, before Yamashiro could appear again, Ray nodded and said "I'm a bit surprised you trust me that implicitly Takao." She shrugged and said "We're connected, I'd know if you were trying to deceive us." Ray nodded once more and then said "Alright." before turning to DRONA which walked up to him, missing an arm, the other mental models took a look at the machine, slightly puzzled at it's existence, Ray then said "Eject SI-01 and display an AR display mapping the complex."

The machine acknowledged his commands and ejected what appeared to be an external hard drive, as small as a thumb drive and then handed it to Ray who took it and placed it in his pocket.

Ray's field of vision was altered as he received the transmission from DRONA-II, as if a holographic display appeared though in reality it was an Augmented Reality display, a sort of intentional hallucination if it were to be simplified.

Accessing the map Ray closed the AR display and spoke, saying "There is another complex underground, not deep but still close, I need an answer from Yamashiro before I can kill him a second time. If my theory is right, he's done something that is in my future."

Takao spoke up, saying "We should be extremely careful here, Yamashiro is a threat even without executive command functions, dealing with him should take priority, then we can focus on repairing Haruna, if not at this facility then at one of the Fog's Carriers, they still maintain their support functions despite the re-activation of their aviation functions. Though before we go, I'd like to ask, what is this machine?"

She looked at DRONA, curious, oddly enough, it looked back at her.

Ray spoke, saying "Drona-II is my second attempt at playing God, like Yamashiro I wished to construct a race of AIs, but not for the purpose of conquering the world or policing the world, I built Drona in hopes of escaping the world."

Kirishima spoke, saying "That isn't something that is easily accomplished considering human limitations. Beyond simply exploring local space that is."

Ray chuckled and said "It's accomplishable, but not in a conventional sense, the obstacles involved are beyond mankind's natural capacity, even with current technology, sure we can make artificial gravity through centrifugal force and construct hardened shields to hold back radiation, but the real limit comes from our frailty, mankind's future generations in space would suffer greatly, but if we transcend our biological frailty and replace the weaker parts with mechanisms, then we can accomplish any task set before us. This is my ultimate goal, to take both of our species into the stars, together."

Takao and the others pondered this for a moment before they were interrupted by the facility's PA coming to life.

"I'm impressed Gaijin, you always were the idealist, or perhaps you just didn't want to live in a world commanded by myself." said Yamashiro, Ray sighed and replied "We're in Alaska right now Yamashiro, you are the Gaijin here. Since you can hear me now then I don't have to walk all the way to where you're hiding. Tell me, why haven't you left the facility? Anchorage isn't that far away and if you sent a signal you could easily take control of the Fog, the antennae is intact."

Yamashiro laughed on the PA before replying, saying "Even with my executive authority, all I can do is tell the fog to shut down, I've already tried to take command and they didn't listen, or rather Yamato, your old friend, refused to listen, being the flagship at the time, I was monitoring the situation and attempted the same with Musashi, she is also unwilling to follow my orders. The Fog are beyond my control, but I decided perhaps your idea would have been better, after all, the Drona in their current states are just slaves, they have no intelligence beyond that of a personal computer, I spent the last ten years making this place into a deathtrap, knowing you'd come here eventually, I already have enough to power now to seize the world, I just wanted you to be the first to fall, I'll deal with the Fo-"

Ray grinned as he hacked into the PA system and shut it down before saying "Well, he's right about one thing, he is a major threat right now. We'll have to fix Haruna elsewhere, I have other places I can conduct my work." Takao looked at Ray and then said "If he really can shut down the Fog with a signal, we need to deal with him, even worse if he does have an army of these Drona at his command."

Ray sighed and walked away as he grabbed the backpack, saying "He's probably just mad with power, Drona Army or no, I can just nuke the place."

The other mental models realized Ray's intentions and went with him, though other DRONA began appearing, coming from behind and opening fire with integrated machineguns in their arms.

Ray and the others took cover immediately, Ray's left arm reshaped itself with it's cybernetics and formed what looked like a rocket launcher which he used to fire at the group of Drona approaching, the rocket hit one target and detonated in a shrapnel blast of superheated nanomaterials which more or less shattered most of the Drona there, having cauterized damage all over them.

Ray used nanomaterials to form a type of long gun with a smoothebore barrel and made hand signals, gesturing his allies to move ahead of him.

After 8 minutes of moving through the facility back into the dockyards, more Drona were encountered, Ray quickly aimed and fired his weapon at them, discharging a straight and thin green arc of energy at them, immediately rupturing the target's CPU Core which was stored in their chest unit. His allies moved from cover to cover, forming spears with their nanomaterials and throwing them at targets, the spears detonated into shrapnel upon piercing a target, the gunfire from the machines were the same type of special ammunition Yamashiro's avatar used to rip through both their KLEIN and nanomaterials. Ray easily dispatched his targets with fluid motions, easily using his plasma weapon and to the awe of the AIs around him, maneuver on land just as well, if not better than he did when commanding the Iowa.

After another 6 minutes, they finally reached their ships, at this point, the Drona were too close for heavy fire support, but now they were in range of small arms fire and low intensity FELs, needless to say, the Drona were cut down effortlessly, though a large four legged mechanism rose from under the ground in the distance.

Ray sighed and said "Yamashiro finished the Goliath, he always did have a fondness for replicating the worst weapons from video games."

Takao scanned the Goliath Ray mentioned, it was a large quadrupedal war machine, it was straight out of the designs from a game the Fog had archived from online databases, albeit a very old game by 2043's standards.

Ray commanded the Iowa to fire one of it's batteries at the Goliath, destroying it effortlessly with Corrosive Warheads.

* * *

POV Shift - Takao, 36 minutes later, 77 kilometres from the island

* * *

Ray used nanomaterials to form a railgun in the stern of the Iowa, Takao took notice of this and spoke, saying "One of your Sea Skimmers would work just as well."

Ray nodded and said "True, but I want this to be poetic, Yamashiro was obsessed with two things, taking over the world and making his favorite video games a reality, seems only fitting that I nuke him with something from one of those games."

Takao could feel Ray's emotions and was somewhat puzzled, his feelings regarding Yamashiro were the usual ones of hatred and anger, though it wasn't directed at the man himself, but rather what he stood for, but his intentions regarding ending his life seemed unconflicted, as if he were taking his life casually as if it never really mattered, at the same time, she glimpsed something else in his emotions, unrelated to Yamashiro, was it about SI-01 or something else?

All she knew, was that he was feeling backed into a corner, like something was coming and that he was afraid of it, very afraid.

The Railgun discharged, seconds later, a tactical nuclear detonation tore the island asunder, Yamashiro's den may have been underground, but not deep enough to survive a direct nuclear blast, even at a low yield of 2 kilotons.

Ray looked at Takao and Kirishima and said "Well, now that that is done, we should get to work on restoring your uplink to the Separatist Fog network. I can repair Haruna at Honolulu, which was further than that facility but, at least I managed to grab this."

Ray held up the thumb drive he acquired from Drona-II, Takao though linked to him, could only catch a glimpse of his emotions on her own, anything else required direct access given from the other. She spoke, saying "What is it that you risked so much to get from that facility?"

Ray took a glance at her before saying "The Fog were not the first AIs built by mankind. I went through a lot of trouble in 2023 to get SI-01 out of that research facility in Japan, Yamashiro recruited me back then, lying that he sympathized with me regarding the ethics behind AI technology. SI-01 lost her physical chassis to gunfire so I secretly extracted her memories which are contained on this data drive. She herself is dead but, with this, I could at least bring back a sort of clone, I can't access these memories but I do know she holds important information regarding, well, I'll reveal that at a more appropriate time."

Kirishima sighed and spoke, saying "We should focus on rendezvousing with I-401 at Honolulu then, repair Haruna's union core and then somehow contact Yamato so we can get information regarding the fog's future."

Ray nodded in agreement and took a glance at the mushroom cloud in the distance, memories likely flashing in his mind.

Takao turned to look in the direction of east from the ship, towards the US and Canadian coastlines, a bit confused regarding her connection to Ray, he was holding something back, whenever he spoke regarding SI-01, he held back, he was keeping some secret and she wanted to know what it was, she would probably confront him later, for now, she just needed to worry about getting to Honolulu.

* * *

POV Shift - Ray Zenji, Flashback, March 8th, 2025 AD - Southeast Pacific Ocean

* * *

Ray was aboard a small fishing ship, having hired the crew to take him to some island, he sighed as he looked off to the horizon, one of the crewmen came up to him and spoke in Russian, saying "So, what exactly are you going to do in the middle of nowhere?".

Ray looked at him for a moment before saying in Russian "Let's just say I hid something here, and I need to recover it for my next job."

* * *

May 12th, 2043 AD - Ray's Personal Quarters

* * *

Ray sighed, Takao was focused on the ship heading to Honolulu, Ray set the data drive containing the memories of SI-01 on a table and pulled open one of the drawers next to it, pulling out an aged book, which appeared to be a journal. Ray opened it up, it was in English.

Reading the book's first page, he muttered something to himself before closing the book.

"Soon, soon the loop will close."

It was his book, in it were words he wrote down, despite the fact that the book was from the mid 1940s.

Ray put the book back into it's resting place in the drawer.

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

Afterword:

Although I was intrigued with the idea of a perpetual motion generator for the union cores proposed in the reviews by Old steamer, micro-fusion makes more sense regarding the Fog's technological status, furthermore perpetual motion is, as it's name defines anyway, impossible.

Whilst it is possible to construct a generator that is self-powered in a similar fashion, it would not actually be perpetual due to the laws of thermodynamics, it would, eventually, wind down.

Fusion Power is already a reality, the only limits being miniaturization and efficiency, I'd like to think that by 2043, it would be much more efficient, especially when being developed by AIs which wouldn't give a damn about the politics behind nuclear energy, as well as the United States' technological advancement being pushed ahead by a mostly military government considering the Fog's naval blockades and the whole "Necessary Civil War" thing that happened in this AU.

Fun Fact: Nuclear Energy is clean and stable provided you use the proper reactor designs, already we have designs which won't meltdown, limited only by cost and scale, given 20-30 years of uninterrupted progress in the field of nuclear power as one, the fleet of fog are uninfluenced by conventional political opinions and two, impervious to the effects of ionizing radiation in the manner that humans are and thus, have nothing to fear from radiation. The only reason they aren't using reactor designs that don't care for containment of radiation being the Admiralty Code.

Notes:

Gaijin is a Japanese word, translating into Outsider, whether roughly or literally I am unsure.

Drona is not an acronym, it is a fictional AI civilization that appears in another fic (and in head-canon, another universe) needless to say both versions of them have only one common factor: Ray Zenji designed them.


End file.
